Students Perform Well in First Junior High Literacy Assessment
Students performed well in both reading and writing in Nova Scotia's first provincewide Junior High Literacy Assessment.
Ninety-one per cent of Grade 9 students in English school boards met expectations in writing, while 89 per cent met the standard in reading in the 2007 Junior High Literacy Assessment.
Francophone students at Conseil scolaire acadien provincial (CSAP) also did well, writing both the Junior High Literacy Assessment and the Appréciation de rendement en littératie au premier cycle du secondaire (ARLS).
Eighty-four per cent of CSAP students writing the French assessment met expectations in reading, compared with 77 per cent in writing. In the English assessment, 92 per cent of francophone students met expectations in both reading and writing.
"We have put a great deal of emphasis on reading and writing in our classrooms over the last five years, and that focus on literacy is paying off," said acting Minister of Education, Jamie Muir. "There is still work to do in grades Primary through 12, but the investments we have made in our Literacy Success Strategy are definitely benefiting our students."
Since 2004-05, the department has invested more than $8.5-million to support students who struggle with reading and writing in junior high school.
Schools now provide an hour of language arts instruction for students in grades 7 and 8 every day. Elementary students receive a minimum of 90 minutes of language arts instruction daily, including at least one hour focussed on reading skills.
Active Readers, Active Young Readers and Writers in Action initiatives, have also benefited more than 110,000 students and their teachers.
The results will help teachers and boards improve classroom instruction and strategies to benefit all students, especially those requiring additional support.
"This assessment is giving us valuable information that will help teachers and school boards better support students who are not yet meeting expectations," said Mr. Muir.
Schools were provided detailed student results in early January. Parents and guardians will receive their child's individual results soon.
The 2007 English and French Junior High literacy assessments were administered to 10,661 Grade 9 students last May and were scored in July and August.
The expectations for the assessment reflect what is considered functional literacy by the end of Grade 9. It evaluated student understanding, comprehension and analysis of informational texts, visual media, literary prose, poetry and song.
The Junior High Literacy Assessment and the ARLS are the first formal follow-up evaluations of Grade 6 students who wrote Nova Scotia's inaugural Elementary Literacy Assessment in 2003.
More information on both the Junior High Literacy Assessment website and the Appréciation de rendement en littératie au premier cycle du secondaire website can be viewed at jhla.ednet.ns.ca and arls.ednet.ns.ca .
FOR BROADCAST:
Grade 9 students are performing well in both reading and
writing based on the results from Nova Scotia's first
provincewide Junior High literacy assessment.
Ninety-one per cent of students in English school boards met
expectations in writing, while 89 per cent met the standard in
reading in the 2007 Junior High Literacy Assessment.
Francophone students at Conseil scolaire acadien provincial
(CSAP) also did well, writing both the Junior High Literacy
Assessment and the Appréciation de rendement en littératie au
premier cycle du secondaire (ARLS).
Eighty-four per cent of CSAP students writing the French
assessment met expectations in reading, compared with 77 per
cent in writing. In the English assessment, 92 per cent of
francophone students met expectations in both reading and
writing.
Acting Education Minister Jamie Muir said the investment the
province has made into literacy is paying off.
The 2007 English and French Junior High Literacy Assessments
were administered to more than 10,661 Grade 9 students last May.
Individual student results will be going home to parents this
week.
The assessment is the first formal follow-up evaluation of
Grade 6 students who wrote Nova Scotia's first Elementary
Literacy Assessment in 2003.