Government of Alberta News Release
June 5, 2000
Top marks for Alberta students on latest national science assessment
Edmonton...Alberta's 13 and 16-year-old students continue to out-perform students across Canada, according to a 1999 nation-wide science assessment. While Alberta students typically have done well in science, the province's students in 1999 significantly improved on results from the 1996 assessment and surpassed what 13 and 16-year-old students are expected to know in the subject.
"Alberta students consistently do extremely well on national assessments. I think this speaks well of Alberta's education system and of the commitment and dedication of teachers in this province," said Dr. Lyle Oberg, Minister of Learning.
The School Achievement Indicators Program (SAIP) is designed to determine student performance in relation to standards agreed upon across the provinces and territories. Performance is reported on the basis of five levels. Performance at level 1 is considered the lowest level, level 2 is expected of most 13-year-olds, level 3 three is expected of most 16-year-olds and levels 4 and 5 are the highest levels of science students would be expected to achieve.
Among Alberta's 13-year-olds, 83 per cent of the students achieved at level 2 or above, compared to 73 per cent of Canadian students. Results among 16-year-olds show 86 per cent of Alberta students achieved at level 3 or above, compared to 76 per cent of Canadian students. Alberta 13-year-olds and 16 year-olds also did well at level 4 or above, with 15 per cent of 13-year-old students achieving at that level, compared to 8 per cent of Canadian students. 50 per cent of Alberta 16-year-olds achieved at level 4, compared to 32 per cent of Canadian students.
1999 SAIP science results show that 13-year-old Alberta students showed significant improvement between 1996 and 1999 at level 3 while Alberta 16-year-old students showed significant improvement in 1999 at both levels 3 and 4.
In 1999, 1,872 Alberta students participated in the national science assessment. Conducted by the Council of Ministers of Education Canada (CMEC), previous assessments include mathematics in 1993 and 1997, reading and writing in 1994 and 1998, and science in 1996. SAIP also provides provincial governments with important information about participating schools, instructional practices and the students who wrote the test.
The SAIP results are one more indicator that Alberta students are receiving a high quality education, but Alberta Learning recognizes that it takes more than tests to prepare students for future challenges.
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Backgrounders attached
This announcement is available on the Internet at:
For more information contact:
|
Dr. Lyle Oberg |
Ed Greenberg |
To be connected toll free, dial 310-0000
Backgrounder
Percentage of Students Achieving at Different Levels
|
Age of Students |
Performance Level |
1999 Alberta |
1999 Canada |
National Expectations |
|
13 years |
Level 2 or above |
82.5 |
73.3 |
70.0 |
|
13 years |
Level 3 or above |
64.9 |
53.3 |
40.0 |
|
13 years |
Level 4 or above |
14.7 |
8.4 |
10.0 |
|
13 years |
Level 5 |
2.7 |
0.8 |
2.5 |
|
16 years |
Level 3 or above |
85.7 |
76.1 |
70.0 |
|
16 years |
Level 4 or above |
49.8 |
31.6 |
35.0 |
|
16 years |
Level 5 |
11.8 |
5.6 |
10.0 |
1996 and 1999 Alberta SAIP Science Results
|
Age of Students |
Performance Level |
1996 Alberta Science Results |
1999 Alberta Science Results |
|
13 years |
Level 2 or above |
83.0 |
82.5 |
|
13 years |
Level 3 or above |
55.7 |
64.9 |
|
13 years |
Level 4 or above |
11.3 |
14.7 |
|
13 years |
Level 5 |
1.2 |
2.7 |
|
16 years |
Level 3 or above |
78.6 |
85.8 |
|
16 years |
Level 4 or above |
42.1 |
49.8 |
|
16 years |
Level 5 |
8.1 |
11.8 |
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