Yukon gov't promises new strategy this fall to measure student outcomes

The Yukon's education department says it's going to roll out a student outcome strategy in September, six years after the auditor general of Canada told the territory it needed one.

The strategy will include "clearly defined outcomes" for students, the department says.

Those outcomes will include traditional benchmarks, like test scores and graduation rates, but it will also assess whether students have the skills and confidence to achieve their career and life goals, and whether they understand Yukon First Nations history and worldviews, according to Ash Kayseas, assistant deputy minister with the territory's education department.

"The strategy is really taking a more holistic approach," Kayseas said.

The student outcome strategy has been created in response to a review of Yukon's Department of Education by Canada's auditor general in 2019. That review found that Yukon schools were failing to meet the needs of First Nations and rural students as well as those with special needs.

In the report that followed that review, the auditor general made seven recommendations to the Yukon Government on how to address those gaps.

The education department published a progress report this week on implementing those recommendations, for the standing committee on public accounts.

The first recommendation from the auditor general in 2019 was that the Yukon Government develop a student outcomes strategy. The auditor general's report said the strategy should analyze the root causes of poor student outcomes; define performance targets; and strategize to meet the targets and analyze their effectiveness.

Kayseas calls the territory's new strategy "integral" to addressing the auditor general's concerns. The department is entering consultation with the Yukon Association of Education Professionals before it comes into effect next school year, he said. 

Ted Hupé, president of the Yukon Association of Education Professionals, said he has reviewed the strategy, which includes 14 outcomes for student success. He said it's too early to be overly critical, but from the outset, the outcomes seem difficult for educators to measure.

"We always want 'SMART' goals — goals that are specific, measurable. And if we don't have that, sometimes you can get lost in the weeds," Hupé said.

Recommendations all being acted on, government says

All seven of the auditor general's 2019 recommendations are being acted on, the government says. Kayseas says the department is making progress, though it's received criticism in recent years for moving too slowly on the project.

"I think the challenge – in terms of the pace – is really related to this being a systemic issue, and there's some deep-seated systemic challenges within the field of education that really are complex in nature," Kayseas said.

The first recommendation, to address long-standing gaps in student performance, will be addressed by the student outcome strategy, the department says.

The second recommendation pointed to a lack of oversight from the education department. It challenged the government to build mechanisms for reporting to the minister and evaluating teachers. It hasn't been completed yet. The department is finalizing a "school growth plan handbook," which will include these mechanisms, the progress report says.

The third recommendation asked for a full review of inclusive education. The progress report points to an independent review which was completed in 2021, and details ongoing system changes to inclusive education.

The remaining four recommendations were related to incorporating Yukon First Nations culture and languages in the school system.

In the past year, the department launched an accreditation policy for First Nations to deliver credit programs for high school students, the progress report says. It also cites "many initiatives" providing cultural teacher training and lauds the success of the First Nation School Board, which launched three years ago.

Kayseas, who joined the education department from the Public Service Commission in 2024, says he's heartened by the department's progress.

"I'm actually very happy with what we've achieved," Kayseas said. "Granted, we still have a long way to go … but I'm actually very confident that we're moving in the right direction."

Hupé: Progress report shows little progress 

Hupé is not as enthusiastic about what's been done so far. He says the progress report contains more plans for the future than actual evidence of movement on the recommendations from 2019.

"It's a document filled with department hopes, but not necessarily tangible things that have been completed," Hupé said.

Hupé also noted that several of the initiatives celebrated in the progress report are multiple years old.

"This is not an exciting report," Hupé said.