Action Plan to Improve Student Learning

More support for students and teachers in math and language arts and more accountability in the public school system are the cornerstone of a new action plan to improve student learning in Nova Scotia.

Education Minister Jane Purves announced the plan today, March 22, as part of her first annual Minister's Report to Parents. The report includes the most recent provincial, national and international testing results.

"We are not happy with the results, but we can't bury our heads in the sand," said Ms. Purves. "It's time to face the facts and deal with them and to move beyond a debate focused solely on money."

In the past five years, funding has increased by $100 million for the public school system. Despite the increase, most testing scores went down from 2000 to 2001 or were unacceptably low.

Grade 12 students wrote provincial exams in four subjects in 2001. Marks were down slightly in the English and English/Communications assessments over last year, while chemistry marks were up. Students wrote biology and physics exams for the first time in 2001. Average marks were 62 per cent and 46 per cent respectively.

Grade 5 students wrote a provincial math assessment for the first time in the spring of 2001. The average mark was 42 per cent.

"Pouring money into the system without attention to quality, standards and accountability won't solve the problem," said Ms. Purves. "We're taking action, along with parents, teachers and school boards, to ensure that our students get a strong foundation in the basics."

The Minister's Action Plan, included in the report, outlines new initiatives to improve student learning and others that are already under way.

New initiatives include a comprehensive math strategy to help teachers deliver the curriculum, minimum standards for class time spent on language arts and math, and a literacy assessment in Grade 6, with support for struggling students.

"We start with the basics, give the students the time, text books and teaching they need and hold ourselves accountable for the results," said the minister.

The department will work with school boards to implement the math strategy. It includes more text books and learning resources for students, and more resources for teachers, such as sample lesson plans and other learning activities. It will also include professional development for 880 teachers this spring.

The department also plans to provide school-by-school and individual student testing results to parents.

"We need to be more accountable to the students, parents and taxpayers of Nova Scotia," said Ms. Purves. "By providing more detailed testing results, we'll be giving people the information they need to make improvements in the school system."

Ms. Purves noted that parents need to be involved in their children's education in meaningful ways.

"Parents are their children's first teachers and we're going to provide some guidance to help them with that job," she said. "They also have an important role to play in the running of their children's schools and we want to get more of their input."

The department will soon be launching a pilot project to involve parents more in school improvement. Through school advisory councils, parents will play a larger role in developing school improvement plans, working to achieve goals and reporting on results.

"We must keep our expectations and our standards high. That will encourage all of our students to reach beyond second best, to achieve their personal best," said Ms. Purves.

The Minister's Report to Parents and Action Plan are available at www.ednet.ns.ca . Copies are being mailed to all schools and to parent groups that are members of the Nova Scotia Federation of Home and School Associations.