EDMONTON, AB: Five straight years of floundering math Provincial Achievement Test (PAT) scores show it’s time for Alberta Education to get away from implementing the Inspiring Education framework and go back to fundamental teaching methods, Wildrose Shadow Education Minister Mark Smith said today.
PAT scores released Thursday show over one quarter of Alberta students are performing at a substandard level in Mathematics and Social Studies, and that the scores have been stuck in neutral or declining for years. Smith called the data the biggest indictment on the implementation of the Inspiring Education framework yet.
“The experiment with Inspiring Education has missed the mark for our students, and now we’re at a crossroads,” Smith said. “Wildrose has been urging the government to go back to the fundamentals of learning for years and the evidence is starting to pile up that this is the direction we need to take.”
Smith said the math scores are a prime example of why Alberta needs PATs.
“Standardized testing is one of the ways that we find issues in the education system and fix them before students fall through the cracks,” Smith said. “It makes no sense to move away from PATs in grade 3 and bulldoze ahead with the implementation of Student Learner Assessments in spite of a failed pilot project.”
Wildrose will continue to hold the government to account so that Alberta will once again lead the world in student outcomes.