Provincial Highlights - Newfoundland

Achievement and Attainment

• The overall educational effort aimed at encouraging students to stay in school and improve overall education levels in the Province appears to have been effective. Increases in participation rates, graduation rates and levels of educational attainment are evidence that efforts to keep students in school are yielding a better educated population in Newfoundland.

• High school graduation rates in Newfoundland are on the increase and rose by seven percentage points to 72% between 1990-91 and 1994-95. Graduation rates are still below the other Atlantic provinces, however, the rate of increase has been greater than New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.

• High school graduation rates in Atlantic Canada were substantially higher for females as compared with males for each year in the reporting period and for all provinces. In this Province, the difference was greatest. For 1994-95, the graduation rate for females was 14% higher than for males.

• Indicators from the School Achievement Indicators Program which tested Reading and Writing (in 1994) and Mathematics Content and Mathematics Problem Solving (in 1993) were reported in this document. Thirteen year-olds and 16 year-olds were tested.
  In Reading and Writing 13-year-old and 16-year-old students in this Province performed at or slightly above the national average

  In Mathematics Content and Problem Solving 13-year-old students in Atlantic Canada achieved at levels that were lower than the Canadian average. Newfoundland's performance was similar to the other Atlantic provinces.

  For 16 year-olds, the average performance of Newfoundland students on the Mathematics Content part of the test was lower than the Canadian average. However, these older students achieved at the national average on the Mathematics Problem Solving part of the assessment.

• As measured by the 1991 International Assessment of Educational Progress in mathematics and science, students in Newfoundland achieved at levels that were the same as the international average but slightly lower than the national average.

• In this Province, educational attainment levels of persons aged 20-34 increased markedly between 1981 and 1991. Over the ten year period, the percentage of individuals with high school certification or higher increased by 10 percentage points in Newfoundland; a greater rate of increase than the Canadian average of seven percentage points over the period. But, despite making substantial gains in attainment levels, the percentage of Newfoundlanders aged 20-34 with high school completion certificates or higher was slightly below the Canadian average, as of 1991.

  
  Participation

• Over the five year period, 1990-91 to 1994-95, the participation rates of 16-year-old and 17-year-old students, in Newfoundland, increased by five and seven percent, respectively, and are among the highest in the country. Among 18-year-olds, there is a substantially higher participation rate for males than for females. While it is positive that more males are remaining in school to complete their education, this also indicates that males are taking longer to complete their schooling.

• Students at the K-12 Level in this Province have been very successful in progressing through the education system in the normal 12 year period. Eighty-five percent of graduates in Newfoundland complete their program of studies in the requisite 12 years compared to only 73% in the Atlantic region as a whole. This indicators also shows males are taking longer to complete their schooling than females. Females, in each of the Atlantic provinces graduate in the normal 12 years at rates that are substantially higher than those of males.

• The annual dropout rate was calculated for the 1993-94 school year. In this Province, at 11.4%, our annual dropout rate was comparable to Prince Edward Island, higher than New Brunswick and substantially lower than Nova Scotia. The rate is for males was higher for all provinces than females. In Newfoundland approximately 10 males dropped out for every 7 females.

• The subject area participation indicator is the approximate number of courses a student attempts in a given subject area during their high school years and provides an indicator of the relative emphasis placed on different curriculum areas. Relative to the average for the Atlantic provinces, for 1994-95, students in this Province enrol in a greater number of Language Arts, Social Studies and Fine Arts courses, fewer Mathematics courses and the same number of Science courses.

• The latest indicators on university enrolment show that about four out of ten students in Newfoundland enrol in university immediately following high school graduation. This proportion is higher that New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island but lower than Nova Scotia. A greater proportion of females than males are enroling and this the case in all four Atlantic provinces.

• Considerable variation exists among provinces with respect to French immersion participation. In the 1994-95 school year participation among provinces ranged from about 4.5% in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia to 18% in New Brunswick.

  
  Cost of Education

• The most current data (1993-94) shows the operating cost per student was comparable for all four Atlantic provinces ranging from about $4900 to $5200 and was substantially lower than the Canadian average of approximately $6000. In Newfoundland, the amount was $4929.00, the lowest of the four Atlantic provinces. However, Newfoundland's spending on education as a percent of per capita gross domestic product, at 30.7% was the highest in the Atlantic region. This means that relative to our ability to fund education, Newfoundland spends more than any other province.

  
  Student Satisfaction

• As measured by the Quality of School Life (QSL) attitude survey, about four out of ten Grade 8 students in Atlantic Canada indicate a level of dissatisfaction with school.

• About three out of ten Grade 8 students surveyed say they do not feel safe in school and over half say school is a place where students pick on each other all the time.

• Grade 8 students throughout the region have a high regard for their teachers. In Newfoundland, about 8 out of ten students perceive them as fair and competent in helping them They also have a clear understanding of the need to get along with other students and believe school helps them do this.

• Grade 8 females are overwhelmingly more positive about all aspects of their school life, than males.

• While attitudes, as measured by the QSL assessment, are generally comparable across the provinces, Newfoundland students tend to be more positive about their schooling experiences than students in the Atlantic region as a whole.

  
  Conditions of Schooling

• The level of university education completed by educators is increasing. Over the four year period 1989-90 to 1993-94, in the Atlantic region, there were fewer teachers in the "no degree" category and a greater number who had completed a Master's degree or higher. In Newfoundland 22% of teachers had Master's degrees; the highest percentage in the Atlantic region.

• Over the five year period 1989-90 to 1994-95 the pupil-teacher ratio (PTR) in Newfoundland was and continues to be the lowest in the Atlantic region. In 1994-95, our PTR was about 15 students per teacher compared to approximately 17 students per teacher in the other Atlantic provinces.

• During the 1994-95 school year, school-based educators comprise the vast majority of all positions in the education systems in the Atlantic region. About 97% of all professionals are employed at the school level in the region. In Newfoundland the percentage of school-based educators was slightly lower at 96.5%. District-based educational staff comprised 3.5% of the total.

  
  Lifelong Learning

• Library use in this Province was relatively low for each of the three years examined, 1991-92, 1992-93 and 1993-94. The number of items borrowed from libraries annually was about 3.5 items per person, the lowest in the region.

• More adult Atlantic Canadians are involved in formal learning activities than in previous years. Over the period 1991 to 1993 participation rates for adult education and training increased in all four Atlantic provinces. Those who had continued their education beyond high school were more likely to participate in adult education and training. The most recent data, for 1993, shows Newfoundland's participation rate at 21.4% which is below the Canadian average of 29.6% and the Atlantic average of 24.0%

• As a percentage of household income, Atlantic Canadians spend as much or more on reading materials as the average Canadian. Newfoundland and New Brunswick residents spent 0.5% of household income on reading material. The figure was 0.6% for Nova Scotians and Prince Edward Islanders. The Canadian average was 0.5%

• In Newfoundland, television viewing during 1993, the most current year for which data are available, was highest among 18-24 year-olds. At 24 hours per week it was the highest in the Atlantic region and 6 hours higher than the Canadian average. Compared to other Atlantic provinces, television viewing among 12-17 year-olds was lowest in Newfoundland at 17 hours per week.