PEI

Grade 6 reading, Grade 11 workplace math need work, provincial assessment shows

Results from the latest P.E.I. student assessments were released Tuesday and they show some areas of improvement and some dips in student achievement.

'Reading is definitely an area where the department will be doing further investigation and follow-up'

Young kids are seen from the back, sitting in a classroom. At the front of the classroom stands a teacher, whose image is blurred from the distance.
59 per cent of Grade 6 students met provincial expectations when it came to reading. That's down from 82 per cent two years ago. (Syda Productions/Shutterstock)

Results from the latest P.E.I. student assessments were released Tuesday and they show some areas of improvement and some dips in student achievement. 

The assessments are written each year by students in Grades 3, 6, 9 and 11 to measure how well students are meeting expectations set out in the province's curriculum. 

The poorest result is in Grade 11 workplace math, or 521K — with only 39 per cent of students meeting expectations. 

The province hopes to address this with a Grade 7 math intervention pilot that was launched this year. 

The other two Grade 11 math streams — one for science, math and engineering (521B) and another for academics (521A) — both showed improvement. 

Grade 6 reading results dropped to 59 per cent from 82 per cent two years ago, and "is definitely an area where the department will be doing further investigation and follow-up over the coming year," a government spokesperson told CBC News via email. 

In its written release, the province noted that an external review of P.E.I.'s assessment program is being conducted to ensure it "stays current and reflects the overall needs of Island learners."

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