Image: Fraser Institute / The Fraser Institute says one out of every two Grade 10 students in British Columbia failed to meet the proficiency standard in math, and participation rates among students in province-wide assessments have declined significantly, according to a study released last week by the Fraser Institute.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Test scores among B.C. students

Less than half of Grade 10 students in B.C. met numeracy standard in 2021-22

Jan 25, 2024 | 6:50 AM

VANCOUVER — The Fraser Institute says one out of every two Grade 10 students in British Columbia failed to meet the proficiency standard in math, and participation rates among students in province-wide assessments have declined significantly, according to a study released last week by the Fraser Institute.

“Historically, B.C. led the country in standardized testing, but major changes have essentially dismantled province-wide testing for high school students, and unfortunately, student achievement has declined,” said Paige MacPherson, associate director of education policy at the Fraser Institute and co-author of The Collapse of Student Testing in BC High Schools.

The study discovered that participation in B.C.’s province-wide student assessments has dropped, while fewer students are meeting the proficiency standards in numeracy and literacy.

“Ironically, the B.C. government calls the new student assessments ‘mandatory,’ but declining student participation rates show schools are not upholding this requirement,” MacPherson said.

During the 2021-22 academic year, B.C.’s Grade 10 numeracy assessment had a 77.7 per cent participation rate, with only 48.2 per cent of Grade 10 students meeting the proficiency standard. By contrast, in 2015-16, 62.4 per cent of students were proficient, and the required math exam was mandatory, so all students wrote it. Furthermore, in 2021-22, 82.9 percent of Grade 10 students wrote the Grade 10 literacy assessment – a decline of 17.1 percentage points from the Grade 10 English exams, in which full student participation was mandatory for completing the course.

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In 2021-22, the institute found that 76.4 percent of Grade 10 students were proficient in literacy – a drop from 80.5 percent of students who were proficient on the 2015-16 Grade 10 English exam.

“Fewer students are being tested in B.C., but the results we have demonstrate how far student performance has fallen in Grade 10,” said MacPherson. “B.C. student performance is declining, as evidenced by weakening performance on international tests and provincial assessments, in parallel with the dismantling of the province’s formerly strong system of testing. Returning to rigorous province-wide testing is essential to getting B.C.’s education system back on track.”

According to a power point slide presentation embedded in the Chilliwack School District’s board meeting package for January, SD33 has acknowledged this past week that 40 per cent of SD33 students are not proficient in number sense and operations in grades 2-7.