York Catholic District School Board Census Information Session
A community information session was held for parents/guardians and school communities about the Student Census. The virtual information session was held on November 25, 2020.
The York Catholic District School Board student census is coming winter 2021
I am a beloved child of God. I will make a difference in this world.
Collecting valid census data means:
My school will be better able to understand who I am and the connection to my lived experiences.
My school will be better able to identify challenges and barriers and help me achieve success.
My school will be better able to use programs and resources, that reflect my identities, and meet my needs.
Each Student is a Beloved Student of God
Each student is a beloved child of God endowed with gifts from God and sent to make a difference in the world. With this in mind, we remain committed to helping all students achieve their God-given potential and experience success as creative and critical thinkers who integrate Catholic values into their lives as socially responsible global citizens.
Why We Are Conducting a Student Census
In fulfillment of its mission of educating and inspiring all students to achieve their full potential in a safe and caring environment, the York Catholic District School Board (YCDSB) is conducting a voluntary and confidential Student Census in early 2021 to better understand the backgrounds, experiences and needs of our students and communities. The collection of demographic data is a Ministry initiative that is intended to “foster policies, procedures and practices that are equitable and inclusive for ALL students – regardless of background, social identity or personal circumstances – and that support closing achievement and opportunity gaps.”
An important way to ensure success is to know and understand students in the richness of their diversity and uniqueness. An essential component of this work is gaining a better understanding of the intersectionality of social identities on student achievement. The information that your child provides will help us better identify the barriers to student success and what we need to do to create more equitable and inclusive learning environments as we work to improve equity, achievement and well-being for all students.
Purpose of the Student Census
The Student Census is important.
It will provide us with valuable insight into who are our students, their backgrounds and lived experiences, as well as the needs of our students and school communities. This information collected from the Student Census will help us address opportunity and achievement gaps to ensure that every student can be successful.
Research tells us that student achievement is influenced by many factors, including students’ lived experiences related to their ethnic and cultural background, gender, socio-economics, parental education and engagement, safety, and sense of belonging. The data gathered from the Student Census will help us understand how these factors impact student success. We will use the census information to make equitable and informed decisions about our policies, practices, programs, partnerships, resources and services. The census information will also help inform the refinement of the YCDSB Multi-Year Strategic Plan, the student, school and board improvement planning process, and the Board’s Human Rights, Equity, Inclusion and Diversity Strategy.
Questions and Answers about the Student Census
Why are we planning to administer a Student Census?
To fulfil our mission of educating and inspiring all students to achieve their full potential in a safe and caring environment, we are conducting a voluntary and confidential Student Census to better understand the backgrounds, experiences and needs of our students and communities.
We are committed to helping all students experience success. To support this goal, we are conducting a K-6 Parent Census and a Grade 7-12 Student Census to better understand the backgrounds, experiences and needs of our students and school communities to better support improvements in equity, student achievement, and well-being.
The data collected from both students and their parents will provide schools, families, and the community with valuable information to better meet the learning needs of all students, including ensuring that curriculum materials and the school and learning environment are reflective of students’ identities.
The Student Census will gather demographic data to help the Board and our schools to:
better understand the needs of our student populations and school communities;
address barriers to student well-being, achievement and success;
establish effective programs and allocate resources where they are needed the most.
How can I find out more about the census?
A community information session will be held for parents/guardians and school communities about the Student Census. The virtual information session will be held on November 25, 2020.
York Catholic District School Board Census Information Session
For more information about the Student Census Information Session, or to submit your questions about the Student Census, email census@ycdsb.ca.
What can I expect from the Student Census Information Session?
The Student Census Information Session will provide information about the intended purpose of the Student Census, review the Student Census, and answer questions about the Student Census. Parents/guardians/caregivers and school communities may complete this Google Form or send questions directly to the school board in advance by emailing census@ycdsb.ca.
What if I, or my child, can't access the census online?
The Census is intended to be completed online, with the option of printed surveys for parents/guardians that require/prefer this option due to Internet access issues.
What types of questions are included in the Student Census?
The Student Census consists of questions about student well-being and sense of belonging, gender, sexuality, religion, ethnicity, race, languages, nationality, disability and socio-economics.
All information gathered about individual students will remain confidential.
Do I need to answer every question on the census?
The Student Census is voluntary. Your child may choose to skip questions or choose not to participate at all. However, the higher the completion rate, the richer and more reliable the information will be to support student and school improvement and ensure equity of access and opportunity to program and services.
Do students require parental permission to complete the Student Census?
Parents/guardians of Grade 7-8 students will receive information before the Census is administered, with the option to request that their child not participate in the process.
How will responses be kept confidential?
A confidential database will hold the responses. All responses can only be accessed by a very small team within the Research Department, strictly for analysis and research purposes. These steps comply with the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA).
How is the Student Census confidential but not anonymous?
The Student Census is not anonymous; however, no personal identification will be shared or released. This ensures that the information provided by individual students remains confidential.
Will students lose access to any programs if they do not complete the census?
No program or report card marks will be withheld from any students who do not complete the Student Census.
How will responses be kept confidential and secure?
The Census is confidential. We respect the privacy of our students and families. Data will be collected in a secure manner in accordance with applicable privacy legislation and best practices. Questionnaires will have unique access codes assigned to them. Data will be stored on internal YCDSB servers and will only be accessed by the Research team to analyze the data. Reports will never single out or identify a student or family and will only be reported in summary to understand the needs of school communities.
Will the census be available in a variety of languages?
Translated versions of the Census shall be made available in the following languages upon request: Arabic, Mandarin, Korean, Spanish, and Tamil.
Why would I want my child to complete the Student Census?
The Student Census is important as it will provide us with valuable insight into who our students are and their lived experiences. The information gathered will help us better understand the impact of identity on student learning, achievement, and well-being.
With the information, the Board and schools will be able to:
Better understand the needs of our students;
More effectively plan programs to meet identified student needs;
improve the quality of programs and service delivery;
Reduce the disadvantages experienced by some students;
Determine where funds are most needed;
Improve the equitable allocation and distribution of resources.
Census Community Information Session Questions and Answers
Will there be representation of minority cultures in the census?
The Census includes the top languages spoken that were identified for Ontario on the 2016 Census, as well as several text boxes to enter as many ethnic or cultural origins as are applicable to describe each student’s background.
Is this information protected? Who has access to this data? Will it be accessible to outside sources?
The Ontario Human Rights Code (the “Code”) permits the collection and analysis of data based on race and other grounds, provided that the data is collected for purposes consistent with the Code, such as to monitor discrimination, identify and remove systemic barriers, address historical disadvantage and promote substantive equality.
We respect the privacy of our students and families and will manage and protect the personal information of our students. Secure processes will be implemented to ensure the security of students’ personal information. Secure systems will be employed for retaining, storing and disposing of personal information in accordance with applicable privacy legislation and provincial guidelines.
The YCDSB has a legal and ethical duty to protect students’ confidentiality and privacy. The Census data will have unique access codes assigned to them. Data will be de-identified and stored on secure internal YCDSB servers. Only a small handful of members of the YCDSB Research Team and the IT Department will have access to the data.
All reporting will use group data and be done in ways that protect the identities of individuals. Reports will never single out or identify a student or family and will only be reported in summary to understand and better serve the needs of our students and school communities.
Any data that may be shared with outside agencies, including the Ministry of Education, will be aggregated to the Board level and all personal identifiers will have been removed.
Will there also be a part with regard to schools in low income neighbourhoods where some of the student population come from and how those economic needs will be taken into consideration with accessing resources and technology and just overall sensitivity to those families?
We will use the Census data along with other information that we are gathering from our school stakeholders, to implement procedures to address the identified needs of individual students in a sensitive and empathetic manner in neighbourhoods and schools that require additional resources and supports. Parent and community representatives will help guide and inform our decision-making and actions.
How will this data be integrated in our policies/children's school environment for families who are facing socio-economic challenges, or identify as marginalized or racialized family? Who is held accountable when this is not honoured and how does the parent group 'access' these policies?
Once we have identified where the inequalities exist, we can address the needs of specific communities through a review and re-distribution of existing resources.
It takes a village to raise a child, and we are all accountable for our actions. We are committed to helping all students achieve their full potential with the resources that are available to us. We will use the data collected to inform where our resources are most needed.
The Student Census is confidential but not anonymous. This means that Student Census data can be tied to student records. This is done to link the demographic data with student outcomes to identify and eliminate barriers, biases, and opportunity gaps so that all students can achieve their full potential.
Additional information for parents of students in Kindergarten
All parents/guardians of students are invited to participate in the Kindergarten to Grade 6 Parent Census by completing the questionnaire. The Parent Census is voluntary and confidential.
The Kindergarten-Grade 6 Parent Census consists of questions about student well-being and sense of belonging, gender, religion, ethnicity, race, languages, nationality, disability and socio-economics.
The information that you provide will help us to improve our schools for all students. Schools and the Board can then use this valuable data to better meet the learning needs of all students, including ensuring that curriculum materials and the school and learning environment are reflective of students’ identities. We encourage all parents to complete the survey.
Please indicate “I do not know” where you do not know the information, or “I prefer not to answer” if you are not comfortable answering a question.
Additional information for parents of students in Grades 7-12
The Grade 7-12 Student Census is voluntary and confidential. The information that we collect through the Student Census will help us better understand the backgrounds, experiences and needs of our students and school communities so that we can know where we need to improve.
Schools and the Board can then use this valuable data to better meet the learning needs of all students, including ensuring that curriculum materials and the school and learning environment are reflective of students’ identities.
The Grade 7-12 Student Census consists of questions about students’ well-being, sense of belonging and experiences in and outside of school, as well as demographic questions about their gender, sexuality, religion, ethnicity, race, languages spoken, nationality, disability and socio-economics.
Personal information is collected under the authority of the Education Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. E.2 and Bill 114, Anti-Racism Act, 2017, complies with the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. M.56, and aligns with the Ontario Education Equity Action Plan, with funding from the Equity Secretariat.
Confidentiality Statement
The York Catholic District School Board (YCDSB) Student Census is confidential. We respect the privacy of our students and families. Data will be collected in a secure manner in accordance with applicable privacy legislation and best practices. Questionnaires will have unique access codes assigned to them. Data will be stored on internal YCDSB servers and accessed by authorized YCDSB research staff to analyze the data. Reports will never single out or identify a student or family and will only be reported in summary to understand the needs of our school communities. Moreover, board trends will only include findings where there are 10 or more students.
Should you have any questions about the Student Census, email census@ycdsb.ca
ATTN: YCDSB CENSUS
c/o York Catholic District School Board
320 Bloomington Road West
Aurora, Ontario
L4G 3V4
York Catholic District School Board