Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. There has been discussion lately about the educational renewal in the Northwest Territories. In theory, the renewal is supposed to strengthen student success and enhance the quality of education in small community schools. It’s also supposed to improve the way we measure student achievement.
I’m pleased the Department of Education recognizes the need for a renewal. However, along with many of my constituents, I’m not confident they’re headed in the right direction.
The thing is, parents in my constituency are terribly concerned about the poor quality of education in our small community schools. They’re afraid of the future of their children. Why is that? A big reason is that their children aren’t learning the right material. As a result, they just aren’t passing the Alberta achievement tests.
Let me tell a couple of stories to illustrate the point. Two Grade 11 students in my riding are at the top of their class. They’re bright kids. They’re really into physics. But they both scored around 30 percent on the departmental exams. Two Grade 3 students were at the top of their math class, but in Grade 4 when they took the Alberta achievement test, they scored in the bottom 25th percentile, which is a virtual fail.
These students are not being taught what they’re expected to learn. They aren’t learning the NWT curriculum in a way that prepares them for standardized tests. It’s a sorry situation when our best and brightest can’t even pass departmental exams.
What is even worse is the department’s response to the dismal results on the Alberta achievement tests. You might expect to see them redouble their efforts in order to fix this problem. Instead, they want to eliminate the test altogether. That’s not a viable option. It only sweeps the problem under the rug, leaving us without a standardized measurement of student achievement.
Education renewal is being advertised as an open process guided by input from the public. For the record, my constituents want quality higher education, not another way of justifying poor results.
I will have questions for the Minister of Education at the appropriate time. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
