Grading Alberta's Schools
Contact:
Peter Cowley, Education Policy Researcher
The Fraser Institute, (604) 688-0221 Ext. 556, Email: peterc@fraserinstitute.caPatrick Basham, Director of the Social Affairs Centre
The Fraser Institute, 714-4549, Email: patrick@fraserinstitute.caRelease Date: June 19, 1999
Vancouver, BC>>> The Fraser Institute today released The 1999 Report Card on Alberta's High Schools, the first study of its kind to combine relevant, publicly-available data to produce an academic rating of 187 of Alberta's public and separate secondary schools.
"We feel strongly that this report card is a much-needed tool in the effort to make our schools responsive to the needs of their students, and for parents interested in selecting the education provider best suited to their children's needs," says Peter Cowley, the Report Card's co-author.
The ratings are based on student results provided by the Alberta Department of Education. For each school, five indicators of school performance are measured: (1) the average diploma examination mark received by the school's Grade 12 students; (2) the percentage of these diploma examinations that the students failed; (3) the difference between the student's average examination mark and the average school mark in the diploma courses; (4) the number of diploma courses taken per student; and (5) the percentage of students entering Grade 12 for the first time who completed their diploma program in the same year.
From these statistics, a rating for each of the three school years, 1995/96 through 1997/98, has been calculated.
"This set of indicators has been selected because they provide systematic insight into a school's performance. They are based on annually generated data so that we can assess not only each school's performance in a single year but also its improvement or deterioration from year to year," notes co-author Stephen Easton.
Although other components, such as technical training, fine arts and sports, all combine to be part of a student's experience this Report Card is concerned only with the academic aspect of a school's mission.
"Just as teachers combine test scores, homework and class participation to rate a student, we have combined all the indicators to produce an overall school rating," says Easton.
By providing a concise, objective overview of each school's academic performance, The Report Card is designed to provide a useful benchmark against which to judge both the school's need to improve and a measurement of the improvement gained.
"We hope that readers will use this Report Card, not as a source for antagonism among parents, teachers and school administrators, but as the basis for constructive discussion and action leading to real improvement," concludes Cowley.
Once five years of consistent data has been collected, the authors will include an indicator of statistical significance in future editions of The Report Card, as well as objective socio-economic data of each school's student body.
The Fraser Institute also released two studies: Secondary Schools Report Card for British Columbia 1999, and; Boys Girls and Grades: Academic Gender Balance in British Columbia's Secondary Schools earlier this year.
Established in 1974, The Fraser Institute is an independent public policy organization based in Vancouver.
For the full text of this study visit the web site at www.fraserinstitute.ca. For further information, or for a copy of "The 1999 Report Card on Alberta's High Schools", contact:
Suzanne Walters,Director of Communications The Fraser Institute, (604) 714-4582, Email: suzannew@fraserinstitute.ca
info@fraserinstitute.ca
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