By Derek Cornet

NLSD annual report states only a third of students graduating on time

Apr 21, 2018 | 8:00 AM

Students in the Northern Lights School Division (NLSD) continue to struggle when it comes to achieving the same success as their southern counterparts.

According to data released recently in the division’s annual report, only 36 per cent of high school students graduated on time last June. In all, 31 per cent of First Nations and Métis students graduated in three years while 83 per cent of non-Indigenous students managed to do the same. Across the province, 76 per cent of all students graduated on time, with 43 per cent of First Nations and Métis students doing so as well.

“We’re not happy with the progress that’s been made and [what] has happened in the past,” director of education Jason Young said. “We’re sort of revisiting it in terms of how we can have success.”

When it comes to average final marks in Grade 10, NLSD students underperform by as high as 20 per cent when compared to the provincial averages. The report states the final marks for those enrolled in English Language Arts B 10 was 53 per cent, Science 10 was 56 per cent and Math 10 was 57 per cent. The provincial average is 72 per cent or higher.

There are several ways the school division is working to increase those numbers, Young said. He noted some schools are part of the province’s Following Their Voices initiative. That program focuses on using a variety of strategies in the classroom, Young said, which are meant to help with instruction. 

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“[Teachers] also set a series of goals for themselves to see if they can achieve them,” he said. “Those goals might be focused on the learning environment, relationships with students and culture.”

Young also said the division has launched grad coach teams, which are composed of staff members who monitor the progress of students. He said, even though less than half of students graduate on time, it’s important to note more than half do graduate within a five-year span. Increasing graduation rates will include a collective effort with everyone at the school and engagement with the community, Young noted.

The annual report also states literacy rates for Grade 3 students has gone up by about 11 per cent in four years. Around 36 per cent of these students are reading at grade level. While the provincial average is above 70, Young said administration has worked hard to boost literacy among elementary students.

“Teachers are doing self-reflection at the school level in terms of their own work as they carry it out or try to achieve their literacy goals,” he said. “There’s also a time the principal comes in to do a walk through in the classroom to see how they are carrying out a balanced literacy approach.”

derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno