| 1. |
Q: |
Why is my school not listed in the report card? |
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A: |
Each school must have a minimum enrollment of students (usually 15) in the grades from which the data are drawn. For elementary schools these are Grades 3 and 6 in Alberta and Ontario, and 4 and 7 in BC. For secondary schools these are Grade 12 in BC and Alberta; Grades 9 and 10 in Ontario, and Secondary V in Quebec. In some cases due to circumstances beyond the control of the school (such as school burned down, flooding, epidemic), the available data is insufficient to rank the school. |
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| 2. |
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For which provinces does The Fraser Institute publish report cards and for how long has it been doing this? |
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The Report Card on British Columbia’s Elementary Schools has been published since 2003 and the Report Card on Secondary Schools in BC has been published since 1998. In 2004 we published the first Report Card on Aboriginal Education in British Columbia. The Report Card on Alberta’s Elementary Schools has been published since 2002 and the Report Card on Alberta’s High Schools has been published since 1999. The Report Card on Ontario’s Elementary Schools been published since 2003 and the Report Card on Ontario’s Secondary Schools was introduced in 2001. The Report Card on Quebec Secondary Schools has been published since 2000. Starting in 2006 the Yukon was included in the Report Card on Secondary Schools in BC. |
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| 3. |
Q: |
Can I choose a school based on the report card alone? |
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A: |
We do not recommend this. The report card answers the question ‘overall, how is the school doing academically?’ The report card is one objective tool for parents to use when choosing a school for their child or when they want to keep informed about the school their child is attending. The report card should be used in conjunction with visits to the school and discussions with administrators, teachers, support staff, their child and other parents. |
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| 4. |
Q: |
Does the report card take into account the fact that some schools try to improve results by encouraging lower performing kids not to take the exams? |
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Wherever possible we design the report card so as to discourage schools from excluding any students from participating in assessments. For example, in the Report Card on Secondary Schools in British Columbia and Yukon, this is accomplished by including the “exams taken per student” indicator. The elementary schools’ report cards include a measure of the “tests not written.” |
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| 5. |
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Is the report card only a snapshot? |
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For each of the indicators of school performance and for the overall rating out of 10, the report cards provide a number of years of historical data. This provides a more valid picture of how the school has performed and how it might perform in the future. Each individual school report provides something more like a motion picture rather than a single year’s snapshot. |
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| 6. |
Q: |
What subjects do the report cards look at? |
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Generally, the report cards consider academic subject areas or courses in which there is a uniform provincial assessment. |
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| 7. |
Q: |
What exam results are used in the calculations for the report cards? |
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In BC we use the results of the Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA) exams in Grades 4 and 7 and provincial exams in Grades 10, 11, and 12. In Alberta we use the results of the Provincial Achievement Tests (PATs) in Grades 3 and 6 and provincial exams in Grade 12.In Ontario we use the results of the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) exams in Grades 3, 6, 9 and 10.In Quebec, we use provincial examinations at the Sec IV and Sec V levels. |
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| 8. |
Q: |
Does the data that the rating is based on come from the same school year that the report card is released in? |
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No. The report card is based on the results of the most recent year for which we have received data from the ministry. Usually this is the previous school year. For example: the 2007 report cards will include data from the 2005-2006 school year. |
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| 9. |
Q: |
Isn’t the report card just a way to distinguish the “have” schools from the “have not” schools? |
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No. While it is sometimes easier for schools to successfully teach children who enjoy many advantages at home, each year the report cards identify many schools with students that have very good results even though they serve students whose families do not have a high income level or high level of parental education. |
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| 10. |
Q: |
How do we improve our rating? |
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One suggestion would be to identify other schools serving students with similar personal and family characteristics that are doing better. Staff at these higher performing schools might be able to provide information about how they helped their students overcome the same challenges that your school’s students face. |
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| 11. |
Q: |
Should I consider an Overall Rating below 6 a fail? |
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A: |
No. In most cases, a rating of 6 is the provincial average. The school rating does not reflect a pass or fail. It simply reflects how far the school is performing above or below the provincial average. |
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| 12. |
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Do you report data in the same way as the ministries do? |
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School results are based on data provided to us by the respective education ministries. However, the report card indicators may present ministry data in ways not used by the ministry. |
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| 13. |
Q: |
Why did the ranking of my child’s school decrease (or increase) this year? |
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The report card was designed to provide information about how each school is doing academically. The reasons for individual school results will likely vary from school to school. It’s essential to remember that how a school does over time is most important. |
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| 14. |
Q: |
In the report cards why is there an “n/a” reported for some indicator values? |
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Where insufficient data are available for the calculation of an indicator, overall rating, or trend measure, an “n/a” appears in the tables. |
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| 15. |
Q: |
What does it mean that the report card’s results are relative? |
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This means that each school is rated relative to every other school. So, in order for a school to get a higher overall rating, it would have to improve faster than the average degree of improvement for all the schools in the report card. |
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| 16. |
Q: |
Why do the report cards not include indicators of school performance in areas like trades training, the fine arts, and development of good citizenship skills? |
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Indicators related to these areas of school performance are not included because of insufficient data to fairly rate schools. If data were to become available, we would certainly consider including these measures in the report cards. |
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| 17. |
Q: |
Is it true that in small schools just a couple of poor exam results can negatively affect the school’s overall rating? |
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Yes, smaller schools can be significantly affected either for better or worse by the results of a small number of students. Particularly when considering the performance of smaller schools, you should consider all the historical results so that you have a better picture of how the school has performed over time. |
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| 18. |
Q: |
When are the report cards published each year? |
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Alberta Elementary February – March
BC and Yukon Secondary March – April
Alberta High School May – June
BC Elementary April – May
Ontario Elementary March – April
Quebec Secondary October
Ontario Secondary February – March |
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| 19. |
Q: |
Does The Fraser Institute prepare and/or administer the exams the report cards are based on? |
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No. The Fraser Institute does not prepare or administer exams of any kind. We simply report the results of provincial exams through the publishing of the report cards. |
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