Students' international test results reason for alarm: Kirby

For Immediate Release

December 4, 2013

Students' international test results reason for alarm: Kirby

St. John’s—St. John’s North MHA Dale Kirby says the results for Newfoundland and Labrador students on an international test of skills in reading, mathematics, and science are reason for alarm.

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an international assessment of the skills and knowledge of 15-year-old students. It assessed the competencies of 15-year-olds in 65 countries and provides a detailed breakdown of results for the Canadian provinces.

“The results on this test show that Newfoundland and Labrador students' results continue to decline in a number of areas of the assessment,” Kirby says. “Students in Newfoundland and Labrador consistently achieved lower than the Canadian average on many of these measures in mathematics, reading, and science.”

The PISA results also indicate that, compared to the other Canadian provinces, the gender gap between the reading abilities of boys and girls in Newfoundland and Labrador is the largest. 

“I hope the Minister of Education will take these results seriously and reconsider the cuts made this year to teachers, student resources, and library services,” said Kirby. “If anything, these test scores indicate that our students need more support in reading, mathematics, and science”.

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For more information, please contact:

Dale Kirby, MHA

dalekirby@gov.nl.ca

Tel: 709-729-6921