Saskatchewan Grade 8 students including those in the South East Cornerstone Public and Holy Family separate school division’s Grade 8 classes, are pretty well stuck in the lower middle range when it comes to assessing basic educational skills.
Walter Wood, co-ordinator of analytical services for the public school division (Cornerstone), paid a visit to his board members on Dec. 18 during their regular open business session in Weyburn.
As opposed to statistical information released last year regarding Canadian students’ standings on an international test, the Pan Canadian Assessments (PCA) monitored and tested Grade 8 level students across Canada only. The youngsters’ skills with mathematics, reading and sciences were measured in 2013 with results posted this year. Wood noted the latest tests emphasized sciences while the previous one spent more time on reading skills. Cross Canada and international tests were also completed in 2007, 2010 and last year.
In Saskatchewan, 3,333 students completed the test, 97 of them in French. Across Canada, over 32,000 Grade 8s took the test, 8,000 being French language students. The survey and tests did not include students with severe learning disabilities.
The science tests consisted of the youngsters’ abilities to solve problems, their reasoning skills and other nature, Earth and life sciences. There were fewer questions and less focus on math and reading this time around.
Compared with the previous two national surveys, Saskatchewan students ranked seventh on the cross-Canada rating scale.
“The highest group was at 655 with 500 being the medium. Saskatchewan was at 486,” said Wood, while using a power point video production to enhance his presentation.
He noted that in the Canada-wide tests, six per cent of the students ranked at the highest level, 38 per cent were at Tier 2 (higher end of the middle level achievers) and 45 per cent at Tier 3 while 11 per cent were on the lower Tier 4 branch.
“Statistically speaking, Saskatchewan rated pretty normal,” he said.
The two provinces that scored higher on a consistent basis were Alberta and Ontario, since more than 10 per cent of their high level students ranked at the very highest point compared with the six per cent mean average.
On the reading skills side, Wood said the tests centred on dynamic processes, interaction, comprehension and interpretation skills as well as students’ abilities to respond and reflect on what they read.
Again, Saskatchewan discovered their students were in the middle of the pack or slightly lower with Ontario students being the only ones rating consistently above average.
On the mathematics side, the students were tested on such things as numbers and their operations, measurements and geometry to name a few categories.
This time, Quebec students showed superiority with an average of 527 followed by Ontario at 512. Saskatchewan came in at 488.
“This province showed consistency across the three test ranges, 486 in science, 487 in reading and 488 in math,” said Wood.
The skill levels between males and females was almost indiscernible at the Grade 8 level on a cross-Canada basis with a slight advantage for males in science in Saskatchewan, while it was just the reverse in the cross-Canada results where females showed a slight advantage in science skills.
On the reading by language scale, the English reading students fared slightly higher than those who read in French, but with the test sample so low, especially in Saskatchewan, that observation could be slightly skewed, Wood admitted.
“Females seem to do well in reading and are much stronger than the males, by about 22 points, in Saskatchewan and Canada-wide,” Wood said.
With three samples now under their belt, Canadian educational assessors now have firm statistics to work with, he noted, and with those samples from 2007, 2010 and 2013 to assess, they have found a bit of a pullback or drop off in reading skills in Saskatchewan, he said. Some of that may be attributed to recent curriculum changes, he suggested.
On the math side, Wood said the French language students outpaced their English counterparts by a bit, and again, it was the same result across Canada. When it came to genders though, it was pretty well a dead heat between males and females.
There has been a growth in math skills in Saskatchewan compared with 2010, said Wood, noting that some divisions, including Cornerstone, put more emphasis on building math skills. “Now its early learning and early literacy learning skills that appear to be getting the attention,” he said.
Specific results from Cornerstone students only are not available since the tests were assigned on provincial basis.
Harold Laich, trustee for Subdivision 2 and former board chairman, who joined the meeting via an audio/video hook up, said “I would be concerned with these outcomes if I were in the Education Ministry. We are certainly not leaders in education any more and we used to be.”
Lynn Little, director of education for Cornerstone, said groups of educators have not yet held any specific discussions or conferences on the results, but many have looked at the data that has been studied, but not extensively.
“We pride ourselves on our educational system, but it seems we have a long way to go,” said Laich.
“At least we’re heading the right way,” said Little.
Weyburn city trustee Warren Betker said he saw some dramatic improvements in mathematics in various sub groups compared with 2010 so that was a heartening sign.
“Yes, that is a good thing, as long as we don’t see a pull back like we did in reading,” said Wood, while wrapping up the 20 minute presentation.
He was thanked by chairwoman Audrey Trombley who noted the extensive preparation that went into the report.
