Department of Education announces testing program for this school year

Public exams in six core subject areas will be administered this school year. In addition, comprehensive assessments of language arts and math skills will be done in Grade 3 and a program of national testing will be conducted - this year in math. (Last year, science was examined.)

"I am very pleased with the comprehensive program of testing that the Department of Education is implementing this school year," said acting Education Minster Beaton Tulk. "Evaluating student performance on a regular basis is very important. It not only helps us evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum, but also helps to identify problem areas for specific students, allowing for extra help where it is needed."

Ten public exams will be phased in over a two-year period. Chemistry 3202, which has been administered over the past four years to all students in Atlantic Canada, will continue to be administered in June 2001, along with five other public exams - Biology 3201, Advanced Mathematics 3200 and 3201, Thematic Literature 3201 and Physics 3204. The remaining four subject areas will be added in 2002. They are Earth Systems 3209, French 3200, World History 3201 and World Geography 3202.

"With the expansion and enhancement of language arts testing, the department is also acting on the Strategic Literacy Plan. One of the plan�s main priorities is early literacy intervention," added the minister.

Starting next May, the language arts testing program will be expanded. Grade 3 students will be tested on all aspects of language arts - listening, speaking, reading, writing and viewing. Prior to this year, they were only tested on writing. An assessment of Grade 3 students will be conducted each year for the next three years, instead of once every three years. This rigorous level of testing will enable parents and teachers to monitor students� skills on a regular basis and provide early intervention to assist children having problems. Through a combination of measures and the involvement of all stakeholders, the goal of ensuring all students know how to read and write before they finish primary school can be achieved.

The Department of Education will also continue with national programs which allow the province to compare the performance of Newfoundland and Labrador students with that of their counterparts in other provinces. This data can then be used to evaluate and, if necessary, modify curriculum to ensure the system of education in this province is at national levels. This year, testing will occur in mathematics for students aged 13 and 16.

Media contact: Andrea Maunder, Communications, (709) 729-0048.

2000 10 13 9:40 a.m.