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Latest report on educational performance released
Newfoundland schools continue to show significant improvements

The education system for Newfoundland and Labrador is now performing at or above the Canadian average in several key performance areas. A compilation of the results from assessments conducted over the last several years was released today by the Department of Education. Profile '96 - Educational Indicators, is the latest in a series of accountability reports on this province's kindergarten to Grade 12 education system.

• The findings highlight a number of success stories; More students are graduating. Newfoundland and Labrador's high school graduation rate rose to 76.7 in 1995, up 13 percentage points from just six years earlier.

  In 1995, this province's high school students participating in Advanced Placement, a program where high achieving students can earn university credits while still in high school, had the highest percentage in Canada to receive a rating of three or more, which is the rating needed to obtain university credit.

  As part of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study in 1995, our 13 year-olds were tested with 13 year-old students from 40 other countries around the world. Out of five provinces that tested a large sample of students, our province ranked third, outperforming Ontario and New Brunswick. Our students' achievement was ranked higher than the international average in science and higher than the performance of students from countries like New Zealand, Germany and the United States and a host of others.

There is good news in other areas as well. In the most recent administration, Grade 7 students made a strong showing on the Canadian Tests of Basic Skills. Compared to students who took the test in 1991 the overall percentile rank went up by 12 percentile points, from 37 to 49. This places the Grade 7 students essentially at the national performance level, with some mathematics scores above the Canadian average and some language scores below.

Of course, the news is not all positive. Performance in a 1995 Grade 3 writing assessment showed many of our students did not meet the minimum standard, and less than five per cent of students met the standard of excellence. In addition, our performance levels on language arts subtests of the Canadian Tests of Basic Skills continue to be below the national average. And, as is the case in several other provinces, the indicators show male achievement levels are generally lower than female levels, and rural students generally scored lower than students in urban areas.

Minister of Education, Roger Grimes was pleased with the report's findings and believes the overall results point toward good things to come. In commenting on the reform process in the light of these results, the minister stated: "The future promises to be an exciting one for the students and teachers of Newfoundland and Labrador as educational reforms begin to take shape. This is a new beginning for our schools and the indicators show that the hard work of teachers and students is beginning to pay off. Our students and teachers are moving ahead with some notable accomplishments. Yes, we still have some concerns and there are some measures that show this province to be performing below national levels. But that's certainly also true of most other provinces. The general trend in student achievement is positive."

The minister noted that the Department of Education is making a special effort to keep parents and the general public informed by publishing a brief summary of the highlights from the Profile`96 report that will be sent home to all parents of school-aged children in the province. The Highlights report is also available by contacting the Department of Education.

Profile `96 - Educational Indicators and its companion Highlights report are products of the Department of Education's Indicators program, a system of ongoing educational measurement and reporting. This province's Department of Education was one of the first in the country to regularly produce such detailed performance indicators. The minister stated: "The Indicators program provides the means to ensure our education system is accountable to parents and the public of this province. Profile '96 is evidence of our ongoing commitment to keeping people informed about education in Newfoundland and Labrador." The entire Profile '96 report can be viewed or downloaded from the provincial government's web site at /, under Publications On-Line.

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Carl Cooper                        Dr. Lenora Perry Fagan
Director of Communications         Director, Evaluation Research & Plan.
Department of Education            Department of Education
P.O. Box 8700                      P.O. Box 8700
St. John's, Newfoundland           St. John's, Newfoundland
A1B 4J6                            A1B 4J6
(709) 729-5040                     (709) 729-3000