Study
| EST. READ TIME 1 MIN.Non-elite independent school students outperform public school students on standardized tests in B.C.
Comparing the Standardized Test Scores of British Columbia’s Public and Independent Schools
Main Conclusions
- In all six Foundation Skill Assessment exams (FSAs), non-elite independent schools had a higher five-year average score than public schools, by statistically significant amounts.
- The largest difference on FSA exams was in Writing: non-elite independent schools scored 18.0% higher than public schools in grade 4, and 18.9% higher in grade 7.
- On Provincial Required Exams (PREs), non-elite independent schools had a higher five-year aver-age score than public schools on four out of the five exams, by statistically significant amounts.
- The largest difference on the PRE exams was in English 10: non-elite independent schools scored 5.4% higher than public schools.
- After-tax income of families with students attending non-elite independent schools is nearly the same—only 1.9% higher—as that of families with students attending public schools.
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Angela MacLeod
Angela MacLeod, former Senior Policy Analyst with the Fraser Institute, conducted research for the Barbara Mitchell Centre for Improvement in Education, and theCentre for School Performance Studies. After completing a Bachelor of Business Administration from Acadia University she spent time working in banking and management before pursuing a Master of Public Policy from the University of Calgary. The focus of her graduate studies was social and economic policy, and her final paper Noble Frustrations: The Many Practical Problems with Municipal Poverty Initiatives was subsequently published by the Manning Foundation. She was formerly the executive director of a school choice advocacy organization and is passionate about improving K-12 education across the country. She is the co-author of numerous education policy studies including Where our Students are Educated: Measuring Student Enrolment in Canada, 2017 and Comparing the Family Income of Students in Alberta’s Independent and Public Schools.… Read more Read Less… -
Joel Emes
Senior Economist, Fraser InstituteJoel Emes is a Senior Economist, Addington Centre for Measurement, at the Fraser Institute. Joel started his career with theFraser Institute and rejoined after a stint as a senior analyst, acting executive director and then senior advisor to British Columbia’s provincial government. Joel initiated and led several flagship projects in the areas of tax freedom and government performance, spending, debt, and unfunded liabilities. He supports many projects at the Institute in areas such as investment, equalization, school performance and fiscal policy. Joel holds a B.A. and an M.A. in economics from Simon Fraser University.… Read more Read Less…
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