Earl Marriott Secondary 25-26
OUR CONTEXT
École Earl Marriott Secondary is a thriving learning community located in South Surrey, BC. First opened in 1973, Earl Marriott boasts rigorous academics, fine and performing arts, technology education, special education, athletics and applied skills. The school is rich in many site-based programs such as a Connections, HOPE, South Zone Hub, AP courses, two hockey academies and a French Immersion program.
Our school has the largest secondary French immersion program in BC with almost 400 students which is almost a third of our population. These students come to us from four local elementary schools as well as from French immersion programs in other parts of Surrey. They join mainstream students from 6 different elementary schools
EMS currently fields the most athletic teams in the district and are frequently ranked provincially in Girls Volleyball and Soccer, Boys Rugby, and Curling. This year we hosted the Junior boys Rugby Provincials at South Surrey Athletic field and with the hard work of the team, won the Provincial Banner.
Earl Marriott enjoys a close connection with the Semiahmoo First Nation. There is a rich history and tradition of collaboration with the First Nations community. Elders from our community are invited in regularly to share with our students their story, culture and history. Students and staff from EMS collaborate with leaders from the Semiahmoo people to organize and run an annual Pow Wow. This event has become the central cultural event of our school. 
OUR LEARNERS
As a staff, we recognize that our learners have changed from years past and that the challenges they will face in society have changed also. Our learners come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, and they bring with them diverse learning needs and cultural perspectives. Our learners understand that learning requires an exploration of one’s own identity. Our learners understand that we need to acknowledge everyone’s history and story through a wide cultural and diverse representation in our curriculum and school culture. Learning is embedded in memory, history and story, and that is inclusive of everyone’s story.
Our staff has been actively engaged in implementing the curricular and core competencies and developing our skills in universal design for learning. We recognize that to prepare our students for the future we need to embed the priority practices of the First Peoples Principles of Learning in our curriculum and assessment practices. Or learners have engaged in learning that weaves a diverse cultural background and shared story through the curriculum.
Earl Marriott students come from a wide variety of backgrounds and schooling experiences. 30% of students’ primary language spoken at home is not English. There are 49 home languages other than English represented by our students and their families. 11% of Earl Marriott students are given services as English Language Learners (ELL). 18% are special education learners designated with social/emotional, physical/health and/or learning needs; 6% are Aboriginal learners; 25% of students are in the French Immersion program.
In past years, our school has dug into addressing issues of equity, building on events hosted by the Multicultural Club and focusing on accounts and views of racialized and marginalized students as part of the Student Advisory Group. We have also built a thriving Black Student Union, who this year, organized and hosted a conference for black students in the district called Empowered: Narratives of Black Joy and Excellence.
EMS also saw our Muslim student Association host our first Iftar meal during Ramadan. Over 70 students and family members came to share food and celebrate the breaking of fast, as well as the many positive community traits that come with this fast.
OUR FOCUS
Our shift to improving numeracy in our junior students this year and in the future, is driven by an increasing number of students coming to us in grade 8 that are still developing their math foundation skills. This has translated into an increase in the number of grade 8 and 9 students that remain at the emerging and developing levels of math fluency even after junior math instruction. This is further reflected in increasing students that struggle in provincial numeracy assessments and ultimately a greater number of students requesting Math 9W and 10W. These courses are designed for students who struggle in this subject area. The classes are smaller in size resulting in greater teacher support and a pace that they can be successful with while still covering core curricular concepts. In 2024 we introduced Numeracy 8 (previously known as Math 8W). Students are identified through the articulation process in conjunction with our counselling team, math department and elementary support team. Students in this program are taught by a math specialist who team teaches with one of our learner support team teachers. Student numbers in the class are limited and the curriculum focuses on math foundation skills. This program is offered in the first semester (Sept – Jan) and in the second semester many of the students are registered in math 8, giving them a full year of math immersion.
The goal of this class is to close the gap regarding the student’s numeracy, logical reasoning and mathematical operations. The ability to manipulate abstract concepts helps students in many areas beyond mathematics. It allows students to view problems from different perspectives and be creative in finding solutions outside of the preverbal box of convention.
Additionally, We have developed a Summer Math Lab Program for the same target learners. This is another opportunity to circle back for students who are still struggling, with the ultimate goal of increasing the number of students who continue in mainstream Math 9 and Foundations and Precalculus 10. While we could not run this program this summer, we are hopeful to run it for the coming school year.
OUR NEXT STEPS
Our next steps to improve our junior student numeracy are as follows:
1. Continue with our robust articulation process and early screening for learners struggling with numeracy/math foundation skills.
2. Continue to provide Numeracy 8 to as many of the target learners as possible, and offer Math Lab in the following summer for remediation.
3. Implement our Math Buddies/Math Mentors programs where senior math students do periodic outreach to both elementary students, and to Math 8 and 9 students at EMS. The intention of this is to build personal connection between the junior and senior students so that a longer term support network can be established.
Our hope is to see the following:
1. A declining number of students coming from Elementary who are below grade level for numeracy skills.
2. A declining number of students being diverted into Math 9W and the senior workplace stream.
3. An increasing number of students scoring a 3 or 4 on grade 10 provincial numeracy assessments.
Surrey Schools
Formed in 1906, the Surrey School District currently has the largest student enrolment in British Columbia and is one of the few growing districts in the province. It is governed by a publicly elected board of seven trustees.
The district serves the cities of Surrey and White Rock and the rural area of Barnston Island.
