FREDERICTON (GNB) – The 2018-19 provincial assessment results are now available online.

“When students are engaged in their studies, they are invested in their future here in New Brunswick,” said Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Dominic Cardy. “We know literacy is the foundation for success in all areas of life, which is why improving our literacy scores in both sectors is a top priority for this government. If we want to create a world-class education system, we must ensure our children are at the top of the list in both literacy and math, not last.”

Provincial assessments are done annually for reading, writing, math, science and French. Results are shared with parents, schools and school districts. Teachers, administrators and school district staff use the results to target improvements and interventions in these subject areas. It also helps to measure the effectiveness of initiatives implemented at the school, school district and provincial levels.

Department staff from the anglophone and francophone sectors have been collaborating to establish a common methodology for analyzing assessment results, building on long-standing practices and successes in the francophone sector. This results in better equating of assessment difficulty level from year-over-year and provides comparative data.

In the anglophone sector, Grade 4 mathematics show 62.3 per cent of students were successful but only 15 per cent of students fall under the “strong” category. Students made modest gains overall in French second-language reading and oral proficiency, particularly in Grade 4 where 18 per cent of students reached the “strong” reading level provincially.

“We know there is room for improvement and continued efforts are needed to improve educational outcomes in New Brunswick,” said Cardy. “It is not enough to just keep pace with other provinces and countries. We have an opportunity and obligation to future generations to create a world-class education system.”

In the anglophone sector, Grade 10 mathematics results indicate 62.8 per cent of students were successful this year, a decrease of 2.3 per cent from last year. The Grade 9 reading assessment also showed a decrease of 7 percentage points to 73.6 per cent after steady increases since 2007.

Currently, New Brunswick trails the country in literacy scores and ranks in 7th place. The most recent mathematics assessment of the Pan-Canadian Assessment Program showed New Brunswick tied with British Columbia, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia for fourth place. New Brunswick also tied for fourth place with British Columbia, Quebec, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador in science. In addition, 84 per cent of New Brunswick students reached an acceptable or higher level of proficiency on the most recent Program for International Student Assessment.

While the francophone sector has seen improvement in student achievement over the last five years in mathematics, science and technology, in terms of reading the results remain constant at all levels. These results confirm the relevance of identifying improved literacy skills as a priority goal of the 10-year education plans.

Highlights from the 2018-19 results include:

Anglophone sector

• 67.2 per cent of Grade 4 anglophone students were successful on the reading assessment and are on par with the Canadian average according to the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study;

• 71.7 per cent of Grade 6 anglophone students were successful on the provincial reading assessment. This is an increase of 10.6 per cent over last year;

• 65.4 per cent of Grade 10 anglophone students were successful on the science literacy assessment, compared to 64.7 per cent last year; and

• Grade 12 students in all French second language programs, except for late French immersion in one school district, showed continued increases over the past three years.

Francophone sector

• 76 per cent of Grade 4 francophone students were successful on the provincial writing assessment, which was the first year of that assessment;

• 72 per cent of Grade 6 francophone students were successful on the mathematics assessment, compare to 61 per cent in 2018;

• 79 per cent of Grade 8 francophone students were successful in sciences and technologies compare to 68 per cent in 2014; and

• 77 per cent of francophone students were successful in Grade 10 mathematics in Path BC compared to 58 per cent in 2015.

“We need a system that creates future-ready learners, with skills that can be adapted to many possible situations,” said Cardy. “Our children deserve to have access to learning opportunities that will improve their understanding of math, literacy and science. We need to make changes so our children can develop important foundational skills that will allow them to continue to succeed long after graduation.”

Building a world-class education system is one of the government’s top priorities, with progress regularly measured and reported on publicly. For more details visit www.gnb.ca/PerformanceNB.