Janet Steffenhagen
Vancouver Sun
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
The reading abilities of B.C. students are continuing to fall, suggest results released today from a provincewide test of basic skills in Grades 4 and 7.
This year, 77 per cent of Grade 4 students were meeting or exceeding expectations in reading, a decline of three percentage points from 2006.
In Grade 7, 72 per cent of students were meeting or exceeding expectations, compared to 73 per cent last year.
Education Minister Shirley Bond said the results were better for Grade 4 writing and math.
"This year's results are evidence that we need to tackle student achievement one student at a time," Bond stated in a release. "Our focus on early learning, along with the legislation we introduced in the spring to appoint superintendents of achievement and to make boards of education more accountable for student results, will have a positive impact on student success over time."
About 85,000 students wrote the tests - known as the Foundation Skills Assessment - last May.
The province has been striving to improve literacy for several years and has said improving reading skills is one of its five goals for the coming decade.
Since 2001, the government has spent more than $125 million on new literacy programs and services, the ministry noted in the release.
