Alberta’s education system reports high achievement and significant improvement
Alberta’s students benefit from strong education system
Edmonton... Alberta’s education system is performing well, according to a new provincial accountability report that shows significant improvement in satisfaction with the overall quality of education, improved student achievement and more students moving on to post-secondary education.
“This year’s Accountability Pillar results are a testament to the teachers and administrators who are pivotal to the success of the education system,” said Dave Hancock, Minister of Education. “These results demonstrate that continued improvement and student success in our schools require excellent teaching practices.”
The provincial Accountability Pillar report contains performance results for key areas of success in the K-12 education system. The measures include surveys of parents, students and teachers on various aspects of quality; results of provincial assessments of student learning in Grades 3, 6, 9 and 12; and key student outcomes, such as dropout rates, high school completion and post-secondary transition. The most recent results are compared with provincewide standards and with the previous three-year average to assess improvement.
“The Accountability Pillar helps government and school authorities focus our efforts to ensure that students are leaving school with the skills they need to be successful,” said Minister Hancock. “It is a benchmark that highlights the many areas where our system is working well, and a place to start frank discussion about those few spots where it is not.”
The report shows the overall satisfaction of parents and school stakeholders on students having access to a broad program of study, safe and caring schools, and having adequate preparation for work and citizenship; as well as opportunities for parental involvement and school improvement. It also captures that overall results on Provincial Achievement Tests, which have improved significantly at both the acceptable standard and the standard of excellence, an especially important change given that results at the acceptable level had been declining in recent years.
Provincial trends are available online at education.alberta.ca by clicking on the Accountability Pillar.
The Minister’s Education Leadership Recognition Awards will be presented later this school year to recognize those school board leaders who have guided local improvements. These awards were created in collaboration with key education stakeholders.
