Province Concerned About AIMS Report on High Schools

Nova Scotia Minister of Education Angus MacIsaac has questioned both the approach and the findings of a report on Atlantic Canada high schools.

The minister was responding to the Report Card on Atlantic Canadian High Schools, released Wednesday, March 5, by the Atlantic Institute of Market Studies (AIMS).

A companion report, produced by AIMS to describe the methodology, acknowledges: "there are significant shortcomings in the data that limit one's ability to evaluate school performance."

"Teachers, schools, school boards and the Department of Education are working together to provide a high quality education to students," said Mr. MacIsaac. "It's good to see AIMS interested in how our schools and students are doing, but their findings are based on incomplete and outdated information. I would hope that they will get their methodology right before they do this type of study again."

Officials from Nova Scotia and the other three Atlantic provinces have asked an expert to review the AIMS study.

Mr. MacIsaac said accountability for the quality of education is a priority to the province. "It's one of the reasons why we test students each year and report the results publicly in the annual Minister's Report to Parents."

The Department of Education does not have school-by-school results. It will start to provide this level of information next year.

School improvement and accreditation is part of the Nova Scotia Learning for Life Strategy released in September 2002. There are eight pilot projects under way in which school advisory councils, usually chaired by parents, are working with schools to help improve the quality of students' learning.

Learning for Life is also putting more teachers in the early grades, more books in the classrooms and more emphasis on reading, writing and mathematics.

"Many factors that contribute to a school's performance can't easily be measured," said Mr. MacIsaac. "This would include whether the school helps children to be socially responsible and the degree to which a school helps a child to live a healthy and active life."

For more information on the Department of Education's Learning for Life plan, see the Web site at: www.ednet.ns.ca .