More students in School District 57 are advancing to the next grade each year and the number of students on track to graduate is exceeding the provincial average.
But district students in Grade 4 and 7 continue to fall short in literacy and math.
The superintendent's report on student achievement, presented in Tuesday night's school board meeting, is a
mid-term gauge of where P.G. students stack up in B.C.
District superintendent Brian Pepper highlighted that 80 per cent of Grade 11 students entered Grade 12 in 2010, compared to 76 per cent in 2009.
"Transition rates that continue to
improve and the upward trend of
completion rates in the district, those are things we are pleased about and hope to see continue," said Pepper.
The rate of aboriginal students climbing grades in 2010 ranged from a high of 99 per cent for Grade 7 students to a low of 73 per cent for Grade 11.
"We've seen a significant increase in the completion rates of aboriginal student in the last five years and that's a real positive we want to continue," said Pepper.
"Our aboriginal results, when you compare them to aboriginal results in the rest of the province, are good. They are equal to or above in most categories from provincial exam results to completion rates, but the results are still below that of all students and we're working very hard in our district to see those results climb."
Most students achieved passing grades or better in six core subject provincial examinations, ranging from a high of 91 per cent for Social Studies 11, to a low of 83 per cent for Math 10.
However Grade 4 and Grade 7 students are below the provincial average in fundamental skills assessment tests on reading, writing and math.
In Grade 7, just 48 per cent were meeting expectations, 14 per cent below the 62 per cent provincial average.
"Students who are successful in Grades 4 and 7 are usually successful in Grade 10 and graduate," said Pepper. "When results are below the provincial average, it's a concern to us. But we have a number of interventions in place and we expect in the next year or so to see those results climb. "
One such intervention is the mathematics enhancement project, a team of five teachers (elementary and secondary) which formed in Feb. 2011 to encourage math teachers to work collaboratively to share information and identify teaching strategies to better suit students.
Other ongoing measures have been designed to divert more funds to provide more teachers at schools attended by the most vulnerable students; provide co-ordinated efforts among social agencies to deal with at-risk students; blend several district departments to develop innovations such as wireless networks for all schools; and help schools access learning grants.
The full achievement report will be available online at www.sd57.bc.ca.
