The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results released today confirm that this government needs to continue to invest in literacy and numeracy initiatives to ensure Island students can compete in the global workforce, said Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Doug Currie.
“While our results are not where we would like them to be, they are not a surprise to anyone,” said Minister Currie. “It is important to note that the students who wrote these assessments have not benefited from the interventions that have been put in place over the last number of years. Our provincial assessments continue to prove that these investments are having a significant benefit to student achievement and we are committed to continue and build on interventions like these.”
PISA measures skills that are generally recognized as key outcomes of the educational process in three core learning areas, reading, mathematics and science. These outcomes are influenced by two factors, school activities and cultural influences such as family and friends.
Canadian students scored well internationally, landing in the top 5 countries. Prince Edward Island joins Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan in a group of provinces that scored lower than the Canadian national average.
For the first time, this year, PISA is releasing contextual information at a different time than the achievement information. The contextual results will be released later this spring. This information traditionally provides a clearer picture about what is influencing the success of the students writing the test.
“We are looking forward to the second set of results which identifies contextual information,” said the minister. “This data will help provide more information about today’s results as to why students believe they are struggling or where they feel they need the most work. It also provides information about socio-economic, emotional and environmental issues, such extracurricular activities, work and relationships with teachers and school staff.”
PISA is a survey of the knowledge and skills of 15-year-olds and one of the most ambitious international educational projects ever undertaken. Approximately 470,000 students from 65 countries across the world participated in PISA 2009. In Prince Edward Island, 15-year-olds from 25 schools across the province participated in the assessment.
For more detailed information on Prince Edward Island’s PISA results, please log onto the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development’s website at www.gov.pe.ca/eecd/PISA.