Student Achievement - 29 April - 2008

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Quebec teenagers take first place in math, reading on new national test

JILL MAHONEY

EDUCATION REPORTER

April 29, 2008

Quebec teenagers rank first in reading and math in a new national test, according to results released yesterday.

In addition, 88 per cent of 13-year-olds across Canada met or exceeded the expected level for reading, although girls outscored boys.

"We are getting world-class results in Canadian schools in this area. Having said that, though, we still need to do better," said Kelly Lamrock, New Brunswick's Education Minister and the chairman of the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada.

While Quebec teens were tops in reading and math, Alberta students took first in science. Ontario students placed second in reading and math, and third in science. Teenagers in the other jurisdictions scored below the Canadian mean, with those from Prince Edward Island hovering at or near the bottom of the pack.

Quebec students' performance may be because of the province's "formidable record" of investing in early-childhood education and interventions for struggling pupils, Mr. Lamrock said.

The reading assessment found significant differences between girls and boys. Twenty-six per cent of girls achieved the superior level compared with 19 per cent of boys. Thirteen per cent of boys scored at the bottom level versus 9 per cent of girls. (Students' results were categorized into three levels.)

"This is a similar experience whether you're in Toronto or you're in rural Prince Edward Island," Mr. Lamrock said, noting the trend also exists in other countries.

However, there were no differences between boys' and girls' scores in math and science.

Francophone students outside Quebec underperformed in reading and math, with scores below the Canadian mean. Lower achievement by minority language pupils is a continuation of past trends, said Raymond Théberge, director-general of CMEC, which administers the test.

Mr. Lamrock said it is important to measure Canadian students' achievement in cornerstone subject areas, noting that the results give politicians and school administrators the opportunity to learn from each other.

"Very simply, what we are trying to do is to evaluate, find what is working, find where there are problem areas so we can better share what works and we can also have a national conversation about what we need to do to improve," he said.

The evaluation, which is known as the Pan-Canadian Assessment Program, was administered for the first time in the spring of 2007 to about 30,000 randomly selected students, mostly in Grades 8 or 9, in all provinces and Yukon. The test, which focused on literacy but also tested math and science, was designed to assess knowledge of common areas of the curriculum of all 11 jurisdictions.

The test, which replaces a previous assessment, was developed to better measure recent curriculum changes as well as correspond with international evaluations.

Immigration legislation - 29 April 2008

New law would put skilled immigrants before families, opposition MPs say

GLORIA GALLOWAY

From Tuesday's Globe and Mail

April 29, 2008 at 4:19 AM EDT

OTTAWA — Opposition MPs accused Immigration Minister Diane Finley yesterday of secretly planning to cut back on the number of immigrants who are allowed to come to Canada to be reunited with family members.

Ms. Finley says the intent of immigration legislation that has been tucked into an omnibus budget bill is not to reduce the number of family-class immigrants. The aim, she told the Commons finance committee, is to shorten the queue of immigrants that has developed because her department must process applications in the order they are received.

She said that means the skilled workers that businesses need might wait for years to come to Canada.

The new law would allow her to establish the categories of workers that will be processed - and reject applications from potential newcomers who don't meet those criteria.

But Liberal finance critic John McCallum pointed out that the new law would also allow the Immigration Minister to reduce the number of people who come to Canada to be reunited with loved ones.

Mr. McCallum said it is logical to assume that, if certain skilled workers are given high priority, family reunifications will be given a lower priority.

"If you are fast-tracking one group, you are slow-tracking another group, which is the family class," he said. "Essentially, you are putting more emphasis on newcomers as commodities, as workers, rather than newcomers as people."

Ms. Finley responded that the Conservative government does consider family reunifications a priority. "And, if at a future point in time, we decide that is the priority, they could be fast-tracked just like any of the worker categories."

Ms. Finley replied that there are millions of people in China and India alone who qualify for admission. "That doesn't mean that we can accept them all," she said.

Because the immigration changes are included in a budget bill, a confidence matter, they must be passed by the House of Commons or the country would face an election.

When asked why she decided against introducing standalone legislation, Ms. Finley said some good laws have been sidelined for up to two years in the minority Parliament. "We couldn't afford to let that happen with immigration. We have to act now," she said.

And it seems the Liberals' distaste for an election means the tactic will work.

Despite their opposition to what is being proposed, the Liberals have given no indication that they are prepared to bring the government down over immigration policy.

"We are certainly going to be against it. Whether we vote against it in sufficient numbers to provoke an election is a decision for our leader," Mr. McCallum told reporters. The Liberals would rescind any Conservative immigration changes they deem unpalatable when they return to office, he said.

When it was pointed out to Mr. McCallum that the Conservatives could form the government for many years, and any legislation passed by this Parliament could be in effect for a long time, he said, "That's possible, but it's not my decision as to the timing of the election."