2022-2023 Annual Report
Leveraging change for a bold future
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CESBA helps build a prosperous Ontario through adult and continuing education programs in school boards.
CESBA (the Ontario Association of Adult and Continuing Education School Board Administrators) is a provincial, non-profit professional association that represents, advocates for and supports adult and continuing education (A&CE) program staff working in over 60 school boards across Ontario. Incorporated in 1999 and provincially funded, CESBA works to ensure that adult and continuing education programs offered by school boards are accessible, affordable, and successful in helping learners achieve their education, training and employment goals.
The Ontario Association of Adult & Continuing Education School Board Administrators, 2023
Adult and Continuing Education in Ontario Matters
Impact
- Adult and continuing education boards in Ontario graduate thousands of students annually with their Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD).
- Programs like English/French as a Second Language (ESL/FSL), Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) and Adult Credit provide pathways to post-secondary, employment, and apprenticeships.
- Certificates for school board programs are widely recognized by employers (OSSD, PSW certificate, hairstyling training, culinary arts training, etc.)
Flexibility
- Learning plans are student-led so each learner achieves their individual education and employment goals.
- PLAR (Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition) for Mature students—a formal evaluation process where students earn credits for their prior learning and life experiences to complete their OSSD faster.
- Flexible learning in adult learning settings—in-person, online, hybrid, night or summer school—allow adults who are working or caring for their families to enroll.
Accessibility
- Over 245 publicly-funded school board locations in Ontario offer Adult Credit and other adult education programs. Program information is easily available through schools.
- Adult learners can access literacy, digital literacy, skills upgrading, English as a Second Language, adult credit and more, often under one roof at their local adult high school or learning centre.
- Most programs are tuition free or require modest materials fees.
Message from the CESBA Board Chair and Executive Director
Adult and Continuing Education (A&CE) professionals are the mavericks of the education sector. We seek creative means every day to adapt to the individual needs of our adult learners while aligning them to emerging trends in the labour market. We work in close collaboration within our programs and community partnerships to remove barriers and create a pathway for learners from Literacy and Basic Skills or English as a Second Language to their Ontario Secondary School Diploma, apprenticeships, post-secondary, employment and beyond.
We embrace change because it has always been our constant. It is why we seize every opportunity to prepare learners to find meaningful employment within sectors with labour shortages like health care. We swiftly rose to the challenge of expanded online learning during the pandemic and we continue to adapt to the changing delivery needs of our learners. We are ready to offer an enthusiastic welcome to the increasing influx of newcomers through our language training programs; the first step many take to connect with their new community and build a life in Ontario.
As their unique connecting organization, CESBA champions these educators on the frontlines of social change. The following highlights of our work through the fiscal year from April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023 demonstrate our pursuit of learning, growth and opportunity for our A&CE professional community.
Events that expanded our perspective
- Our first in-person conference after two years online brought nearly 400 educators from 52 school boards and 10 Indigenous educational organizations from all regions of Ontario together. Over 75 presenters explored topics around digital transformation, advancing equity, our changing environment and more.
- Our popular series of four workshops on the Future of Work introduced our members to labour market and industry experts: Dr. Wendy Cukier from Toronto Metropolitan University; Dr. Saul Carliner from Concordia University; and Dan Cardinal from Skills Ontario. We also had a robust panel discussion on leveraging the trends on employment for adult learners.
- With the goal of strengthening our understanding of Indigenous leaders in education, we held a workshop that featured profiles of Indigenous Institutes presented by: Katie Maracle, Six Nations Polytechnic; Brendan Smyth, Seven Generations Secondary School; and Mark Gibeault, Kenjgewin Teg. We also presented a new workshop to guide Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) assessors on how to award high school credit equivalencies for traditional skills like beading, drumming or hunting.
- Actor, musician, educator and motivational speaker, Sean Mauricette, presented a workshop on Dismantling Racial Bias: Empowering Your Team and Engaging the Future. He spoke about racial bias in the workplace, how bias informs how history is taught, and how to create an inclusive classroom. He finished the session with a moving spoken word performance.
Getting our PSW students the opportunities they deserve
- To expand our school board Personal Support Worker (PSW) programs, we strengthened our working relationship with the Ministry of Long-Term Care, as well as our community partnerships with care homes, to establish more “living classrooms”. “Living classrooms” offer PSW students the chance to learn at long-term care homes, which gives them meaningful, hands-on training and provides a quicker path to employment.
- We participated on advisory and working groups with MLTC and with the Ontario Centres for Learning, Research and Innovation in Long-Term Care (CLRI) to give a voice to our programs.
- We also advocated for community colleges and professional associations to recognize the rigorous standards of our PSW programs and offer equal opportunities to those who earn their qualifications at public or private colleges. A key example is the Bridging Educational Grant in Nursing (BEGIN) that awards PSW students with tuition grants to pursue nursing studies.
Research and data to tell our stories
- We published three reports on comprehensive research projects to explore topical questions within A&CE in Ontario. The research was conducted by Dr. Sandy Youmans, Queens University, and Dr. Lorraine Godden, Carleton University, who surveyed school board administrators, teachers, and learners across the province.
- Scan of Ontario School Board Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) and Credit Programs investigates how LBS and Credit programs collaborate to build pathways for learners. Summary infographic | Full Report
- How Adult Learners Are Supported Through Adult Education Credit Programs Across the Province explores the resources and supports that are most used and valued in credit programs to help learners succeed. Summary infographic | Full Report
- Online Delivery in Adult Education During COVID-19 asks how our educators and learners fared during the quick shift to online learning and what we can learn about delivering online learning in the future. Summary infographic | Full Report
- We undertook an ambitious project at the beginning of this fiscal year, to audit and implement recommendations on the collection and use of data within our organization and across our school board membership. The goal is to better inform decision-making and advocacy efforts for A&CE programs. CESBA contracted a data-strategy organization, Ajah, that has spent the year conducting the data audit and engaging with our membership. A large and enthusiastic group of our active members and staff established a Data Implementation Planning Strategy (DIPS) advisory group to steer this important work that will continue through the next fiscal year. This project will be an integral part of how CESBA uses data to better inform decision-making as we move forward.
Investing in Literacy
- We presented a broad-ranging series of six workshops to support administrators and practitioners working in school board Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) programs. The series explored diverse topics, such as supporting newcomers, learners with developmental disabilities and learners with mental health challenges, along with business planning skills for LBS program leads.
- We responded to the exciting MLITSD Skills for Success initiative, which challenged organizations to create curriculum to support job readiness. We created 27 resources on subjects such as digital skills enhancement, workplace literacy, serving underrepresented groups, and apprenticeships.
This report summarizes our work from April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023, but we wish to acknowledge our project coordinator and conference lead, Suzanne Schwenger, who retired shortly afterwards in August 2023. She is profiled below. We recently welcomed Erinn Graham-Barter to the role.
We both wish to thank the educators, administrators and staff of our A&CE community in Ontario for your collaboration, innovation and transformational work. Your work truly makes a difference in the lives of thousands of Ontarians. We are honoured to serve you.
Sincerely,
Julie Bodiam
CESBA Board Chair
Paul Cox
CESBA Executive Director
2022-2023
A Year in Review
Advocating for Adult & Continuing Education
CESBA promotes the vital need for ongoing government investment in publicly-funded school board adult and continuing education to create meaningful social and economic change. We ensure our provincial and federal partners are informed on the transformational work that our educators do and assist them to communicate updates to our membership.
We met frequently with decision makers in two key learning ministries, the Ministry of Education (EDU), which supports our adult credit programs and Mature PLAR (Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition) process, as well as our PSW training programs, and the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD) with divisions that support Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) and English as a Second Language (ESL) and French as a Second Language (FSL). We also engaged with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) at the federal level, which funds the Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) program. We invited government representatives to address our members at our regional meetings.
CESBA met regularly with EDU, as well as the Ministries of Health (MOH), Long-Term Care (MLTC), and Colleges and Universities (MCU), to advocate for our school board Personal Support Worker (PSW) programs. They worked closely with our PSW Lead, Anita Plunkett, on our new quality assurance program for school board PSW programs. We ran a second marketing campaign with the support of EDU to attract prospective students to our PSW website, www.ontarioschoolboardpsw.ca. Anita also reached out to other key stakeholders to advocate for equal opportunities for school board PSW graduates. She met with employers who historically have only hired college program graduates to provide information on our PSW programs and their graduates. She also met with Mohawk College in Hamilton about their BEGIN nursing bridging program that is currently only open to PSW graduates from a college program, to create a path for our PSW graduates to participate and met with Research on Aging Institute on “living classrooms”, onsite education for PSW students at long-term care homes.
PLAR is a process that awards students high school credits for their work, education and life experience. CESBA, through our PLAR Lead, Andrea Murphy, and EDU continued to collaborate closely on communicating and training for Policy/Program Memorandum 132 that was revised in February 2022 and consult on revisions to be implemented in Fall 2023.
It was a challenging year for many of the school board ESL/FSL programs that received reduced funding or were cancelled, while others waited months for communications on funding extensions. We held numerous sector meetings to support our members and communicated their concerns to the MLITSD, Global Talent Settlement Services Division, to advocate for their exemplary language learning programs.
We will continue to advocate for a public policy environment where all A&CE learners in Ontario can access programs that will improve their lives.
Reaching Out to Our Members
We provided our mailing list of 2,500 (+13% over last year) adult and continuing education professionals, community partners and supporters with important sector news, resources, activities and events through our monthly enewsletter, a weekly bulletin from our Executive Director, and numerous sector and event eblasts.
Our bilingual website is a hub for the A&CE community to access an ever-expanding number of entries in the resource library with over 400 resources, and learn about our professional development workshops, regional meetings and other events.
The use of the website increased over the previous year, with 21,559 users (+35%), 32,500 (+34%) visits, and 72,878 pageviews (+27%). Our social media channels informed more than 1,800 followers of CESBA updates, upcoming events, and relevant news.
We relaunched our PSW marketing campaign updating the materials from spring 2021. The goal of the campaign was to support our PSW programs by targeting prospective students. The campaign included an article in YourCareerGuide.ca that featured Anita Plunkett, our PSW lead, and a recent PSW graduate, digital ads, a video, and social media posts through Media Planet channels. Our website at ontarioschoolboardpsw.ca, also known as GetMyPSW.ca features an overview of the PSW program, an interactive map of Ontario with school board PSW program locations, FAQs and four student success stories. The campaign also highlighted the Province’s tuition fee coverage for new PSW students.
GetMyHighSchoolDiploma.ca, a website that promotes adult credit programs across Ontario, and also features an interactive map is regularly updated and continues to receive visits. Plans were made for a review and revamp of this website for next fiscal.
By the numbers
2,500
CESBA email
subscribers
32,500
visits from 21,559 unique
users on cesba.com
8,313
visits from 7,184 unique users on Ontarioschoolboardpsw.ca
891
visits from 722
unique users on Getmyhighschooldiploma.ca
Sharing Knowledge
Four-part series on the Future of Work
In response to growing concern about labour shortages in Ontario and increased use of technology in the workplace, CESBA offered a very popular four-part virtual workshop series for educators. Increasingly, funding for A&CE programming is being linked to employment outcomes, but it is challenging to guide today’s students in a rapidly changing employment landscape. The series explored how A&CE programs can support students as they acquire the necessary skills to find jobs and stay employed in an era of massive change and disruption. The series had a total of 365 registrants.
1. Ontario’s Changing Labour Market
- Dr. Wendy Cukier, founder of The Diversity Institute at Toronto Metropolitan University presented key trends transforming the labour market and what this means for our students.
2. Career Planning in an Age of Disruption
- Dr. Saul Carliner from Concordia University talked about long term employment and lifelong learning and the importance of both reskilling and upskilling.
3. What’s New in Skilled Trades
- Dan Cardinal from Skills Ontario talked about why skilled trades pathways are more important than ever.
4. How to Support A&CE Students for the New World of Work
- Sector colleagues from across CESBA brainstormed ideas on how to support students find jobs and stay employed in an ever-changing environment.
Dismantling Racial Bias Workshop
Led by Toronto-born actor, musician, educator, and motivational speaker, Sean Mauricette, the one-hour workshop included historical information about racism and racial bias; a discussion on diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace; strategies to address racial bias in the workplace, including hiring practices; and a spoken word performance. We had 110 registrants for this event, which was organized by the CESBA Equity and Inclusion Committee.
Indigenous Institutes
This workshop gave an overview of the wide range of programming offered by Indigenous Institutes and how A&CE students can benefit from them. Indigenous Institutes are recognized as the third pillar of Ontario’s post-secondary education system alongside colleges and universities.
This workshop was organized by the CESBA Committee to Support Indigenous Adult Learners. Three of the committee members provided an overview of their Indigenous Institutes. Thank you to Katie Maracle, Six Nations Polytechnic, Brendan Smyth, Seven Generations Secondary School and Mark Gibeault, Kenjgewin Teg. We had 73 registrants for this event.
Funding and OnSIS Day
This in-person, full-day event provided an opportunity to administrators to increase their understanding of the adult registers, funding sources for various programs, and PLAR funding and reporting. Thank you to Deborah Cook, York Region District School Board, and Namita Aggarwal, Toronto District School Board, for providing their time and expertise on funding for A&CE, the Ontario Student Information System (OnSIS) and the ministry requirements of the funding registers. We had 47 registrants for this event presented by the Committee of Experienced Administrators.
New Administrator Day
This in-person, full-day event, presented by the Committee of Experienced Administrators, provided an opportunity for administrators with fewer than three years’ experience in adult and continuing education to increase their understanding of the role, including the needs of adult learners, programming options and resources, introduction to PLAR, PSW, community partners, and funding sources. They also received updates from various ministries involved in A&CE. Thanks to CESBA Chair Julie Bodiam, Upper Grand District School Board, and board member, Mario DiVittorio, Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board, for facilitating the day, and Andrea Murphy, our staff PLAR lead, and Anita Plunkett, our staff PSW lead, for their expert presentations. We had 61 registrants for this event.
Two-Day PLAR Workshop for New Assessors
Andrea Murphy, our PLAR lead, provided two interactive days of content in person at the Chelsea Hotel, Toronto for new assessors and others interested in the PLAR process. The popular, wait-listed event offered foundational instruction, mentor support, an update from the Ministry of Education, and many transcripts to use as case studies.
PLAR Learning Sessions
Two additional PLAR info sessions were programmed this year to provide professional development and support to PLAR assessors, led by our PLAR Lead, Andrea Murphy. We provided a case study workshop in spring 2022 and a session to support PLAR assessors of Indigenous learners in the fall.
LBS Learning Series
We presented a series of six workshops to support administrators and practitioners working in school board LBS programs. The series had 259 total registrants. It included content on business planning; supporting adult learners on the pathway to credit or apprenticeship; supporting adults with developmental disabilities accessing the workforce; supporting learners with mental health challenges; supporting newcomers; and ArrowMight’s Learning for Life program. Thank you to the 12 presenters, the numerous hosts, and Shirley Graham, our consulting facilitator, formerly with Ottawa-Carleton District School Board.
Personal Support Worker (PSW) Spring Work Day
A full day of in-person content and expertise was provided by Anita Plunkett, our PSW lead, and Kathryn Lawrence, Durham Catholic District School Board (DCDSB), hosted by the DCDSB in Oshawa. Several organizations presented to members, including the Ontario CLRI (Centres for Learning, Research and Innovation in Long-Term Care) on their PREP (Preceptor Resource Education Program); Caring Support, a health care HR organization; Canadian PSW Network Association; and EDU on PSW funding. Participants engaged in resource sharing, D2L program support, and showcasing classroom supports to make the material more tangible and engaging for students.
PSW Learning Sessions
Five PSW information sessions were programmed this year, led by our PSW Lead, Anita Plunkett, to inform and connect with PSW program managers and administrators: a PSW program check-in, and an introduction of LIPHA (Learning Inter-Professionally Healthcare Accelerator and PREP (Preceptor Resource Education Program) with our partners from the Ontario CLRI (Centres for Learning, Research and Innovation in Long-Term Care); PSW program Q&A and updates with the Ministry of Education; New instructor support and Q&A; Introduction to the new PSW organization, Healthcare Support Providers Association of Ontario; and another overview and information session with updates from EDU, MLTC and MOH.
Coming Together
Regional meetings
CESBA hosted nine well-attended regional meetings throughout the school year for the North, East, Central and West regions to connect with their colleagues, hear from government representatives and meet in small, sector-specific groups (Credit/PLAR/
Guidance, ESL/FSL/LINC, LBS, IL, PSW, Francophone). All the regional meetings were held on Zoom with a plan to transition to a new model for a return to one in-person meeting for each region, beginning in spring 2023.
Our goals for this year’s regional meetings included sector updates, challenges, and opportunities, and a focus on data collection and use. We asked participants to share their board practices regarding data collection and use, including what they feel is done well, what is missing and what their data priorities are going forward. Information from these meetings helped to identify topics and interested members for the DIPS (Data Implementation Planning Strategy) meetings.
Meetings to connect and support
CESBA was responsive throughout the year as opportunities and challenges arose, by quickly scheduling informal meetings online to connect administrators to their provincial peers.
We facilitated opportunities for principals and vice-principals to connect to share knowledge regarding the transition to new Student Management Systems (SMS). We supported program staff on the SMS used in school boards: Aspen, PowerSchool, and Edsembli.
Because we began to work fully remotely as of February 2023, we have the staff flexibility and budget to reallocate for more onsite school board visits. Executive Director Paul Cox, and Program Manager, Charlotte Parliament, visited four school boards to learn more about their program needs and offer customized support. Numerous additional site visits were made by our PSW Lead Anita Plunkett and our PLAR Lead Andrea Murphy. Paul also met virtually with senior administration teams at several school boards this past year to share knowledge and support capacity-building.
Farewell to Conference Lead,
Suzanne Schwenger
Suzanne Schwenger, our project coordinator and conference lead, left our staff team in summer 2023, shortly after this fiscal period, after six years at CESBA. As the conference lead, Suzanne curated the conference content with the help of the conference committee. At the regional meetings, she was our gentle host to keep things moving while ensuring everyone was heard. Behind the scenes, she liaised weeks in advance with regional members, speakers and government reps.
As the Francophone Committee facilitator, Suzanne worked to expand our French content, events and personal connections. She served on the Committee to Support Adult Indigenous Learners, the Data Implementation Planning Strategy (DIPS) group, and a special advisory committee on the North Region. She also coordinated or partnered on numerous learning sessions, such as the Future of Work series and the Equity Series.
Suzanne’s insight on committees, proposals, communications and current events have been invaluable to the team. Her warmth and wisdom has touched everyone in our CESBA community, and we are grateful for her time with us.
CESBA Conference:
Reconnect & Renew
November 23-25, 2022
CESBA’s 2022 Conference returned triumphantly to an in-person event for the first time since 2019. Nearly 400 educators from 52 school boards and 10 Indigenous educational organizations from all regions of Ontario attended Reconnect & Renew in Toronto, November 23-25. The sold-out conference included a popular welcome back reception for all registrants and a 5 à 7 networking reception for Francophone educators.
Alison Sadowski, principal at the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board, and Gary Wimmer, vice-principal at Thames Valley District School Board, were excellent co-hosts who shared their humour and expertise to engage and guide participants through the conference agenda. Elder Danny Beaton opened the conference with Indigenous words of welcome and traditional flute music. Indigenous keynote speaker, Riley Yesno set the context for one of the conference themes, a changing world, in her keynote presentation on Education Beyond Reconciliation.
Over seventy-five presenters delivered 31 workshops across both days. Conference Day focused on four content streams: digital transformation, mental health and empathy, equity, inclusion and belonging, and our changing environment. Sector Day focused on issues related to Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS), PLAR/Guidance/Credit, ESL/FSL/LINC, International and Indigenous Languages, and Personal Support Worker programs.
Plenary events included a government panel with representation from the Ministry of Education; Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development; and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Former CESBA Board Chair, Jeff Moore received the fourth annual CESBA Lifetime Achievement Award, with many moving tributes from colleagues. The talented students from Centre d’Excellence Artistique de l’Ontario, Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario, travelled from Ottawa to entertain participants with music and dance.
Conference sponsorship more than doubled over the previous year, with revenue from sponsors and exhibitors totalling nearly $30,000. Thanks to all sponsors and partners, including our Signature Sponsor, Apprenticesearch.com, as well as volunteers, staff and our partners at BPL Events.
Conference Testimonial
“It was great to hear from colleagues around the province about how they operate
Conference attendee
their programs and tackle pending issues. Well done!”
Sector Highlights
Personal Support Worker (PSW) program
- Hired Tammy Cantin, RN, as our Lead Quality Assurance Auditor in September 2022.
- Delivered the Quality Assurance Process to six school board PSW programs.
- Participated on the Ministry of Long-Term Care Staffing Accelerator Advisory Group and Staffing Sub-Group to support the development of their four-year staffing plan.
- Participated on the Ontario Centres for Learning, Research and Innovation in Long-Term Care (CLRI) Living Classroom Advisory Group to support initiatives to expand the delivery of PSW programs out of long-term care homes.
- Met with several stakeholders to advocate for school board PSW programs, including ministry partners, Mohawk College and Ontario Personal Support Workers Association (OPSWA).
- Offered support and resources, including the updated PSW Training Standards, to the three new school boards introducing PSW programs, as well as boards that are expanding existing programs.
- Relaunched a marketing campaign with Media Planet targeting prospective PSW program students, which included digital ads, social media, a video, and an article in their online magazine featuring CESBA PSW Lead, Anita Plunkett, and a recent graduate.
- Updated PSW resources to the CESBA website, including new French CESBA Provincial PSW Exit Examination and other French resources.
- Updated ontarioschoolboardpsw.ca to include new board information.
- Hosted Spring PSW Work Day at the Durham Catholic District School Board to provide provincial updates, resources on promising practices and an opportunity for networking.
- Hosted the PSW sector day at the CESBA conference with support from the PSW Committee.
- Hosted five learning sessions outlined above regarding PSW provincial funding, training resources, networking, and more.
Adult Credit/Prior Learning Assessment Recognition (PLAR)/Guidance
- Provided leadership and mentorship to new assessors, including both adult and continuing education and mainstream secondary schools, which are now eligible under the revised PPM 132.
- Hosted a two-day PLAR event with an introduction for new assessors and advanced support on individual case scenarios for experienced assessors.
- Held two lunchtime sessions on PLAR case scenarios and PLAR for Indigenous learners.
- Updated PLAR documents to share with Aspen user groups, with Trudy Banker, Waterloo Catholic District School Board. Participated on a working group for Aspen.
- Offered support to several school boards on their student management systems, Aspen, PowerSchool, and Edsembli.
- Offered several PLAR/Guidance workshops, both virtual and in person, for individual school boards.
- Updated PLAR 101 and 102 eLearning modules in English and French to orient new assessors and provide case studies. Revamped the elearning.cesba.com platform, which hosts PLAR 101 and 102 courses for new assessors, for a better user experience.
- Hosted the PLAR sector day at the conference with support from the PLAR Committee.
- Continued to update the vast library of PLAR resources and documents on the CESBA website. Reorganized the PLAR program area on the website for clarity and ease of navigation.
English as a Second Language and French as a Second Language (ESL/FSL)
- Recruited new members to the ESL/FSL Committee as several key members retired or moved onto other positions.
- Hosted several informal meetings and workshops for ESL/FSL managers to share challenges and concerns.
- Met with MLITSD to discuss reports and timelines for 2023/2024 funding decisions.
- Assisted MLITSD to create an ESL/FSL Working Group on future program and learner outcomes.
- Hosted the 2022 ESL/FSL sector day at the conference with support from the ESL/FSL Committee.
International and Indigenous Languages Elementary (IILE)
- Increased staffing changes and new staff hires for many boards this year have prompted new contacts and communication/discussions regarding the IILE programs.
- Facilitated discussions on IILE with teachers, students, and parents; the future of IILE; advocacy, promotion, and delivery models; Indigenous language learning opportunities; OnSIS and funding for IILE; increasing credit course student engagement; and summer programming.
- Continued discussions and support to resume in-person program offerings for IILE across Ontario after mostly virtual learning the previous year.
- Met with the International Language Educators Association (ILEA) of Ontario to encourage collaboration between our two associations.
- Hosted the IILE sector day at the conference with support from the IILE Committee.
Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS)
- Completed a major update to the Online Skills Inventory Tool (OSIT), an LBS learner assessment tool for LBS practitioners. The tool was switched to a new, user-friendly platform. The updates were demonstrated through a workshop at the LBS Sector Day at the conference, and several individual learning sessions were held for new users.
- Engaged Dr. Sandy Youmans and Dr. Lorraine Godden to perform a robust environmental scan of all school boards who deliver LBS, as well as explore the connections and working arrangements with their respective adult credit programs. This scan was developed into a report to identify any gaps between programs that are not currently working together effectively with concurrent supports between LBS and Credit for better student success outcomes.
- Create resources aligned with the new Skills for Success and OALCF with ministry funding received in October 2022. With the support of Debera Flynn, Project Coordinator, and two talented curriculum writers, Angela Williams and Susan Boyd, CESBA developed 27 resources.
- Presented a series of six popular virtual workshops outlined above to support administrators and practitioners working in school board LBS programs.
- Revamped the elearning.cesba.com platform, which hosts LBS 101 and 102 courses for new practitioners, for a better user experience.
- Hosted the LBS sector day at the CESBA conference with support from the LBS Committee. The day included presentations on the LBS Scan Report; LBS and PSW working together; an overview of OSIT; and the LBS Learning Sessions. There was also a robust networking and discussion session for members to share best practices, challenges, and solutions. CESBA thanks the MLITSD for their support in attending and sharing updates, including the new Skills for Success Initiative.
The CESBA Board of Directors
During this fiscal year, the CESBA Board of Directors, CESBA staff and members thanked outgoing board members: Jeff Moore (Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board); Linda Dillon-Dupuis (Conseil scolaire catholique de district des Grandes-Rivières); and Alison Sadowski (Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board), for their contributions. We welcomed Norbert Costa (Toronto District School Board); Mario DiVittorio (Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board); and Judith Hoffman (Consortium d’apprentissage virtuel de langue française de l’Ontario).
CESBA Board of Directors 2022-2023
Mario divittorio
Director
Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board
divittoriom@hwcdsb.ca
2022 – present
Andrea Ellsworth
Director
Durham Catholic District School Board
andrea.ellsworth@dcdsb.ca
2022 – present
Project Committees
Adult Credit/PLAR/Guidance Committee
Jim Mackrory (HWDSB-retired), Angela Jarrett (HWDSB), Natalie Poitras (CSCDGR), Samantha Peotto (Lakehead DSB), Sean Pynaert (LDCSB)
Committee of Experienced Administrators
Julie Bodiam (UGDSB), Tania Connell (YCDSB), Mario Di Vittorio (HWCDSB), James Dowhaniuk (PDSB), Marianne Kayed (OCSB), Susie Nunes (YRDSB), Samantha Peotto (Lakehead DSB), Sharon Rajabi (TCDSB), Gary Wimmer (TVDSB)
Committee to Support Indigenous Learners
Michelle Davis (Ontario Native Literacy Coalition), Mark Gibeault (Kenjgewin Teg Educational Institute), David Isherwood (The Martin Family Initiative), Katie Maracle (Six Nations Polytechnic), John Playford (SCDSB), Brendan Smyth (Seven Generations Education Institute), Maureen Wainwright (OCSB), Parastou Ziadlou (Eenchokay Birchstick School)
Conference Planning Committee
Bernadette Beaupre, Diane Elliott (HWDSB), Judith Hoffman (CAVLFO), Cheryl Stewart (Grand Erie DSB), Gary Wimmer (TVDSB)
English and French Second Language (ESL/FSL) Committee
Cathy Condarcuri-Sain, Co-chair (DCDSB), Jennifer McKay, Co-chair (OCDSB), Erin Jones, (AMDSB), Jennifer Jones (TVDSB), Marianne Kayed (OCSB), Laura Patterson (Limestone DSB)
Equity and Inclusion Committee
Seema Bajpai (PDSB), Gabrianna Jolie (TCDSB), Emina Kovacenic (HWDSB), Angela Parkin (HWDSB), Anne-Marie Pinel (OCSB), Susan Rayman (DPCDSB), Lori Sheppard (LKDSB)
Francophone Committee
Vivienne Cotnam (CSPGNO), Mylène Desbiens (CEPEO), Dany Dumont (CECCE), Judith Hoffman (CAVLFO), Josée Picard-St. Louis (CSDCEO), Natalie Poitras (CSCDGR)
International and Indigenous Languages Elementary (IILE) Committee
Christine Mink-Hiles, Chair (SMCDSB), Susan El-Nagar (WCDSB), Azza Elzoghby (HWDSB), Marianne Kayed (OCSB), Ludmila Minkova (OCSB)
Literacy & Basic Skills (LBS) Committee
Melissa Friske, Chair (RCDSB), Lou-Ann Best (PDSB), Gabrianna Jolie (TCDSB), Daphne Lane (UCDSB-retired), Lori Sheppard (LKDSB)
OnSIS & Funding Committee
Namita Aggarwal (TDSB), Deborah Cook (YRDSB)
Personal Support Worker (PSW) Committee
Kathryn Lawrence, Chair (DCDSB), Dawn-Marie Brunet (SCDSB), Kristen Buck (Grand Erie DSB), Tammy Cantin (WCDSB), Denise Dell-Palme (OCDSB), Jennifer Sheyan (LKDSB), Cheryl Stewart (GEDSB), Ashley Voisin (WCDSB), Lisa Zandenburg (LKDSB)
CESBA Members 2022-2023
CESBA is grateful to all of our members for their ongoing support and participation:
Algoma District School Board
Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board
Avon Maitland District School Board
Bluewater District School Board
Brant-Haldimand Catholic District School Board
Bruce-Grey Catholic District School Board
Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario
Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est
Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario
Conseil scolaire catholique de district des Grandes-Rivières
Conseil scolaire catholique du Nouvel-Ontario
Conseil scolaire catholique Franco-Nord
Conseil scolaire catholique Providence
Conseil scolaire de district catholique de l’Est ontarien
Conseil scolaire public du Grand Nord de l’Ontario
Conseil scolaire public du Nord-Est de l’Ontario
District School Board of Niagara
District School Board Ontario North East
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board
Durham Catholic District School Board
Durham District School Board
Grand Erie District School Board
Greater Essex County District School Board
Halton Catholic District School Board
Halton District School Board
Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board
Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board
Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board
Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board
Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board
Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board
Keewatin Patricia District School
Lakehead District School Board
Lambton Kent District School Board
Limestone District School Board
London District Catholic School Board
Near North District School Board
Niagara Catholic District School Board
Nipissing-Parry Sound Catholic District School Board
Northeastern Catholic District School Board
Ottawa Catholic School Board
Ottawa-Carleton District School Board
Peel District School Board
Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board
Rainbow District School Board
Renfrew County District School Board
Simcoe County District School Board
Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board
Sudbury Catholic District School Board
Superior-Greenstone District School Board
Thames Valley District School Board
Toronto Catholic District School Board
Toronto District School Board
Trillium Lakelands District School Board
Upper Canada District School Board
Upper Grand District School Board
Waterloo Catholic District School Board
Waterloo Region District School Board
Wellington Catholic District School Board
Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board
York Catholic District School Board
York Region District School Board
Funders
CESBA graciously acknowledges funding support from the Ontario Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development.
Partners and Affiliates
CESBA would like to thank its partners and affiliates for their support and collaboration this year.
Ajah
AlphaPlus
Advanced Gerontological Education (AGE)
Canadian Personal Support Workers Association
CANeLearn
Caring Support
Centre d’excellence artistique de l’Ontario (CEAO)
Centre for Social Innovation
CERIC
Coalition ontarienne de formation des adultes (COFA)
Collège Boréal
College Sector Committee for Academic Upgrading
Community Literacy of Ontario
Consortium d’apprentissage virtuel de langue française de l’Ontario (CAVLFO)
Contact North
Deaf Literacy Initiative
Diversity Institute, Toronto Metropolitan University
EduTravel
Eenchokay Birchstick School
Extendicare and ParaMed Home Health Care
First Work
Future Skills Centre
Halton Industry Education Council
Hospitality Workers Training Centre
Kenjgewin Teg Educational Institute
La Cité
Landscape Ontario
Laubach Literacy Ontario
Life and Death Matters
Niagara College Canada
NPower Canada
NPower
One of a Kind Shows
The Ontario Centres for Learning, Research and Innovation in Long-Term Care (CLRI)
Ontario College Application Service
Ontario Creates
Ontario Native Literacy Coalition
Ontario Nonprofit Network
Ontario Secondary Schools Teachers’ Federation
Palette Skills
Project READ Literacy Network
Seven Generations Education Institute
Six Nations Polytechnic Institute
Skills Ontario
TESL Ontario
TVO
Université de l’Ontario français
Work Smart Live Smart
CESBA Staff
PAUL COX
Executive Director
URSZULA MAZUR
Administrator/Project Coordinator
ANDREA MURPHY
PLAR Guidance Coordinator
CHARLOTTE PARLIAMENT
Program Manager
ANITA PLUNKETT
PSW Lead and Quality Assurance Coordinator
SUZANNE SCHWENGER
Project Coordinator
ANANDA UMAR
Communications Specialist
Financial Statement
Revenue
| Total: | $1,212,815 |
| Government grants: | $930,804 |
| Conference fees: | $170,781 |
| Membership fees: | $76,740 |
| Other: | $1,160 |
Expenses
| Total: | $1,214,448 |
| Salaries and benefits: | $507,369 |
| Consulting: | $274,461 |
| Event: | $188,495 |
| Administration: | $73,536 |
| Special projects: | $60,431 |
| Professional fees: | $47,519 |
| Travel: | $45,025 |
| Communications and marketing | $14,441 |
| Insurance: | $2,886 |
| Bank charges and interest: | $285 |