DEH CHO
Twenty-two per cent of Grade 6 students in the Deh Cho took the language arts portion of the mandatory Alberta Achievement Tests in 2016, according to Dehcho Divisional Education Council superintendent Terry Jaffray.

Amid poor scores out of last year's Alberta Achievement Tests, Dehcho Divisional Education Council superintendent Terry Jaffray says these scores are just one assessment tool the region uses to determine the success of students. - NNSL file photo

There are two main reasons for low attendance levels. Jaffray said some students are absent - in part due to the fact the tests fall at the end of the school year, in May and June - while others may be excused from taking the test if they are two or more years behind in school.

"(Our numbers) are low. That's a concern for us because we want to have as many kids as possible writing the assessment," she said. "We wouldn't ask (students who are behind) to write because (they) haven't been taught the skills. That wouldn't be a fair situation."

Low attendance rates persisted across all areas of the test. Fifty-one per cent of Grade 9 students took the language arts portion of the test. In math, 47 per cent of Grade 6 students took the test, while 53.8 per cent of Grade 9 students did.

The number of students who scored acceptable or above-standard marks hovered around the 50 per cent mark for Grade 6 math and Grade 9 language arts. In Grade 9 math, 33 per cent of students achieved an acceptable score, while in Grade 6 language arts, 80 per cent of students did.

Jaffray said the Alberta Achievement Test scores are used when schools develop their curriculum, regardless of attendance rates. However, schools rely on other assessments as well for an indicator of how students are doing.

Students who are absent from the Alberta Achievement Tests still take other assessments. Jaffray said all students are required to participate in school-based assessments such as Dehcho Students Write, a regional writing assessment in which students have to write a letter, which takes place twice per year.

The results from those assessments line up with the scores from the Alberta Achievement Tests, she said.

"They're pretty much the same results - we've noticed we have about half our students achieving their grade level," she said.

Although numbers from the Dehcho Divisional Education Council do not include a breakdown of how many students were away versus how many were excused, absence rates are higher for Grade 6 than the territorial average.

According to the territorial Department of Education, Culture and Employment, an average of 57.3 per cent of Grade 6 students from communities did not take the language arts test, while 27.6 per cent of students in regional centres, which includes Fort Simpson, did not take the test.

Jaffray said the region had 47 Grade 6 students in 2016 and 44 Grade 9 students, although she couldn't say how many of those were in Fort Simpson specifically.

That compares to territorial numbers of 569 students in Grade 6 and 538 students in Grade 9.

Krystal Pidborochynski, spokesperson for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, stated in an e-mail that enrollment numbers are calculated at the beginning of the school year, in September, while the Alberta Achievement Tests are written at the end of the year.

"It is common for student populations to change somewhat over the course of a school year. Therefore we can expect some differences between the number of students enrolled at the beginning of a school year and those present in June," she wrote.

Deh Cho students hold steady

Although the Grade 6 students who wrote the Alberta Achievement Test in 2016 scored 80 per cent in language arts, the success rate for the previous year had been 37 per cent.

Jaffray said that pattern is typical of the Deh Cho region, where success rates of students taking assessment tests fluctuates from year to year but generally averages out to 50 per cent.

"That's not good . We're not making any gains," Jaffray said.

"We struggle with that."

When considering how to increase the success of students in assessment tests, Jaffray said one initiative the school division is focusing on is inclusive schooling.

That means working with students individually at their current level, instead of teaching all students the same concepts.

"If a teacher sees a student is struggling with concepts or learning in general, then they're going to do some observations and make some adaptions to their work," Jaffray explained.

If a student continues to fall behind, they can be put on a modified plan with approval from the parent.

In such an arrangement, the teacher and the parent come up with a plan for the student that involves them working at a lower grade level.

For instance, a student who is two years behind in math will have them working at the level they're at, instead of the curriculum they're supposed to be learning with the rest of the class.

"It should be a long process before a student is placed on a modified plan," Jaffray said.

The Deh Cho Drum reached out to Deh Cho MLA Michael Nadli for this story but did not receive a response by press time. Nahendeh MLA Shane Thompson was also sought for comment but said he wanted to speak with the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment prior to an interview.

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