BC Secondary Schools Report Card, 2000:
Detailed school results

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Click Here to view the tables by school district

Getting the most out of the tables

The tables of detailed school results provide a great deal of information, all of which is worth attention. At the bottom of this page is an example.

The items in the upper left-hand corner of the table provide information about the school and its students. Highland Secondary School in Comox is a public school with a grade 12 enrollment in 1998-99 of 221 students. We include the enrollment to remind readers to exercise caution when considering the data for schools with relatively small enrollments. One would expect greater variation in the results of schools with smaller enrollments.

Parents' average education

The Parents' average education (yrs.) provides an indication of the socio-economic background of the student body. This statistic is used to calculate the difference between the school's actual overall rating of academic performance and the rating that one might expect when socio-economic characteristics such as parents' level of education are taken into account. This difference is shown to the right of the Parents' average education (yrs.). For example, Highland's Overall rating out of 10 (8.2 in 1998-99) exceeds the predicted rating (6.9 in the same year) by 1.3 rating points, the amount of the difference shown in the table. This positive difference suggests that the school is effective in enabling its students to succeed regardless of their socio-economic background.

The Parents' average education (yrs.) can also be used to identify other schools whose students have similar socio-economic backgrounds. A comparison of the results of these similar schools can identify those schools that are particularly effective in taking socio-economic conditions into account in their teaching and counselling practice.

Accreditation or evaluation year

Highland's next scheduled accreditation is in the school year ending June, 2002. For schools that have recently undergone accreditation or evaluation, the year in which it was completed is shown. Public schools are accredited every six years. Independent schools are evaluated every four years. Although there are differences in the procedure, the intent in both cases is much the same. Accreditation (for public schools) is a process whereby teachers, parents, students, and school administrators determine how well the school is meeting its objectives and what it must do to improve. The process includes a review of the self-assessment by an external team of educators and parents usually from a different school district. The accreditation documents can provide information on the schools strengths and weaknesses that complements the information contained in this Report Card. Both accreditation and evaluation documents are public information and can be obtained from the school.

Academic performance

Below Accreditation/evaluation year, are the indicators of Academic Performance. Note that all the results data--with the exception of the Exams taken per student and the Overall rating out of 10--are expressed in percentage points. Where no results were produced or where small numbers of results were suppressed for privacy reasons, "n/a" appears in the tables.

First, look at the statistics in the example for the current school year 1998-99 (labelled 1999). Referring to the range tables in Appendix 1, notice where the average examination mark falls compared to the values for the base year. The Average exam mark statistic (70.2 percent) puts the school in the top 20 percent of base year school results. It falls in the top 30 percent on the Percentage of exams failed indicator. These two indicators show that, on average, the teachers at the school have been relatively effective in teaching the material contained in the provincially examinable courses. The school also falls in the top 30 percent range on the indicator, School vs exam mark difference. This shows that at Highland, the school-based assessments are reasonably accurate predictors of the subsequent provincial examination mark received. Since schools at which most students are planning on university studies after graduation typically show Exams taken per student in excess of 3.5, Highland's value on this indicator (2.7 exams in 1998-99) suggests that the students at Highland have a variety of post-secondary plans. Finally, Highland's Graduation rate falls in the top 20 percent range showing that its students have been effectively encouraged to complete their secondary schooling on time.

Overall rating out of 10

The Overall rating out of 10 (Highland scored well at 8.2 in 1998-99) takes into account the school's performance on all five of the indicators discussed in this paragraph. In turn, Highland's 1998-99 Overall academic ranking of 54th out of 271 (shown in the top right hand corner of the table) is based on the Overall rating. The school ranked even higher (37th out of 236) on its five-year average Overall rating. Highland's strong long-term ranking shows that the school has been consistently effective over the years. For purposes of comparison, the indicator and rating values for the province as a whole are provided in the notes preceding the detailed tables below.

Progress indicator

Now, what can we learn from the seven years of statistics taken as a whole? Improvement, if any, over the seven year period for each indicator and the Overall rating is noted with an upward pointing arrow (s ) in the last column of the row. A downward pointing arrow (t ) is used to note that the school is very likely experiencing a deterioration in performance. The arrows are only used where a statistically significant trend is detected. In this context, the term "statistically significant" means that, nine times out of 10, the trend that is noted is real, that is, it would not have happened just by chance. A dash (-) indicates that no significant change has occurred over the reported period. Trends were calculated only in those circumstances where at least four years of data were available. Where less than four years of data were available, "n/a" appears in the tables.

In the results table for Highland Secondary, the Progress indicator shows that there is a strong probability that the number of examinations taken per student is going up. Students are apparently being encouraged to take more of these important provincially examinable courses. The other indicators show no improvement or decline. Based on changes in the five indicators over time, the Overall rating out of 10 has improved.

Individual course results

Below the Overall rating are the 1998-99 Course Results. These include the Average examination mark and the participation rate for each of the eight most frequently written provincially examinable courses. Both numbers should be taken into account. The average mark is a reflection of the effectiveness of the teaching effort at the school. The participation rate shows the extent to which the students have been encouraged to participate in these important academic courses. Ideally, the statistics would show both a high average mark and a high participation rate. Compare Highland's own results in different courses. For example, in History 12 the school's average examination mark was 7.7 percentage points higher than the provincial average and the participation rate was nearly double that of the province overall. In Mathematics 12, however, the average examination mark was about the same as the provincial average and the participation rate was four percentage points lower than the province overall. Also compare both statistics for each course with corresponding results from other schools.

Gender gap

At the bottom of the table, are the Gender Gap calculations for Mathematics 12 and English 12 for all seven years. Progress indicators for each are included. At Highland, the difference in English 12 consistently favours female students and is quite large. While this is not an unusual result, there is no evidence to suggest that male students' results cannot be improved. The gap in Mathematics is substantially smaller and does not consistently favour one sex. In both courses, the Progress indicator (based on the absolute value of the differences for each subject) shows no significant improvement over the seven-year period. However, Highland ranks highly on the Gender Gap indicators--especially over the longer term--when compared to other schools. The Gender Gap rankings (derived from the sum of the two absolute values) are found at the top right hand corner of the table.

Interpretation

Overall, the school community at Highland Secondary should be pleased about these results but not complacent. An apparent trend downward in results for Average exam mark and Percentage of exams failed over the last three years, although inconclusive, should attract attention. The participation rates in Mathematics and Physics may also be cause for some concern. As is the case for all schools, the performance and progress indicators, the Overall rating, and the Overall ranking are intended to provoke questions, not to provide answers.

Asking questions based on these data may be helpful for the parent making a choice and for the school community as a whole when it considers its school-improvement plans. As a general rule, we recommend that all the statistics presented be considered. No one number--indicator data, the Overall rating, Overall ranking, or possible trends--can provide as much information as the whole set. Parents choosing a school will have to decide which, if any, of these measures of academic achievement is important to them. Then, the data may form the basis of questions that parents ask of teachers and administrators at the school. Similarly, during the process of improvement planning, the school community may consider each number in the same way: Is it important to us? Do we want to improve this aspect of our school's performance? If so, how can improvement be accomplished?

The extent to which the Report Card raises questions about school performance will be an important measure of its success.

Notes to the tables of detailed school results

Note 1

Not all the province's secondary schools are included in the tables or the ranking. Excluded are schools at which fewer than 15 students were enrolled in grade 12. These schools do not generate a sufficiently large set of student data to allow a fair and reasonable analysis and presentation of the results.

Also excluded from the ratings and rankings are: centres for adult education and continuing education; schools that cater largely to non-resident foreign students; and certain alternative schools that do not offer a full program of courses.

The exclusion of a school from the Report Card should in no way be construed as a judgement of the school's effectiveness.

Note 2

Where there was insufficient data available with which to calculate an indicator or where a school was not in operation during a specific year, "n/a" appears in the tables.

Note 3

The participation rate percentages in the 1998-99 Course Results indicator may exceed 100 percent as a result of students writing the provincial examination more than once in a single school year.

Note 4

You can compare a school's results with these province-wide results (table 2).

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