Switch to Grade 1 immersion the crux of lower provincial test scores, says minister

A reintroduction to Grade 1 French immersion is the most likely explanation for a recent drop in Grade 2 reading results, New Brunswick's education minister says.

The province released provincial assessment results on Wednesday that showed 71.3 per cent of Grade 2 anglophone students were successful on the provincial reading assessment last year.

In the 2016-2017 assessment, 75.7 per cent of Grade 2 anglophone students were successful on the provincial reading assessment.

The latest result remains well below the provincial target.

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"It does coincide with the reintroduction of the change [in the] French immersion entry point," said Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Dominic Cardy.

"Usually you do get some sort of churn … and usually a bit of a drop in results when you make a big change in a system."

Immersion decision 'done quickly'

New Brunswick's former Liberal government reintroduced French immersion to Grade 1 students in September 2017.

"Whether you think it was a good decision or a bad one, it was still something that was done quickly," Cardy, a PC MLA said.

"The people who had to actually implement it, certainly managed to keep the best interest of the children at heart."

It's just like any sort of warning system you have on your car. If the red light comes on you go and have a look to see what the problem is and see if you can fix it.- Education Minister Dominic Cardy

Cardy said his department will be looking deeper into the latest results and will also be working alongside teachers to find out if new techniques need to be brought into the classroom to improve reading levels.

"The hard numbers are there but that soft data, the information they're picking up everyday from their classroom experience, is pretty huge as well," he said.

"It's just like any sort of warning system you have on your car. If the red light comes on, you go and have a look to see what the problem is and see if you can fix it."

French immersion a major change for teachers

Although the Grade 2 reading levels were down, George Daley, president of the New Brunswick Teachers' Association, applauded teachers involved in the "massive change with the reintroduction to immersion" to Grade 1.

He said between 40 and 45 per cent of teachers in grades 1 and 2 changed jobs.

"This was a major, major change in the New Brunswick education system," he said. 

"We would've liked to have seen an increase on the Grade 2 literacy side, but understanding everything that we've got in the system, I kind of think we've held our own, which, I think, is a positive reflection on our teachers."

He said the slight decrease in numbers could also be because of the increase of newcomers to the province who have different reading levels, which also could've been a factor.

"We do know it's a small decrease, but we certainly want to look at how we rebound for the next year," he said. 

The provincial assessments are designed to give schools, districts, the department and parents an insight into the general state of the education system.

The report also showcased that just 64 per cent of Grade 10 students "were successful" in their first-ever assessments for mathematics and scientific literacy.

But Cardy pointed out the province needs to be aiming higher than "successful," where every child is learning to their highest potential.

Under the province's 10-year education plans, student achievement targets have been set for 2025. The goal is to have 85-90 per cent of students reach the appropriate level of success.