International tests show P.E.I. needs to work on math, strong in other subjects
An international study and testing program that looks at the academic performance of 15-year-olds ranks both Canadian and Prince Edward Island students among the top 30 when compared to other jurisdictions.
But P.E.I. did score below the Canadian average in math when the tests were completed in 2022. The entire Atlantic region and the provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan were also below the national average.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's Programme for International Student Assessment, or PISA, ranked Canada as 11th for achievement scores in mathematics. Prince Edward Island ranked 28th out of about 90 countries, provinces and states that were measured.
P.E.I. did rank higher than many countries in math achievement, including Germany, France and Spain.
The tests took an in-depth look at mathematics, but also analyzed performance in reading and science.
About 78 per cent of Canadian 15-year-olds reached the baseline level of math proficiency, compared to 69 per cent of students across all OECD countries. Quebec and Alberta were the strongest Canadian provinces in math.
Prince Edward Island students scored below the national average in math on the 2022 PISA tests. (Patrick André Perron/Radio-Canada)
P.E.I. was on par with the Canadian average when it came to reading and science tests.
Gender gap continues in math
The 2022 PISA test continued to show a trend in math that showed up in 2012: Canadian boys performed significantly better than Canadian girls in mathematics. On average across Canada, boys outscored girls by 12 points on the 2022 assessment.
Prince Edward Island's gap was even wider at 23 points, partly because Island girls scored below the Canadian average for girls in math. The average Canadian girl scored 491 on the test, while P.E.I. girls scored an average of 467. Girls from five other provinces had similar scores to the Island's.
The study said that kind of gender disparity is seen in almost half the countries participating in the tests.
Amber Jadis has run programs on P.E.I. to help girls build their confidence in math.
Amber Jadis said P.E.I. could do more to encourage high achievement in math, with more difficulty and challenges for top performers and extra help where needed. (Laura Meader/CBC)
"I'm saddened and shocked — and inspired to action — by the results that our girls are performing not as well as the boys right now," said Jadis, the CEO and founder of STEAM PEI, a non-profit that helps under-represented populations do more activities in math, engineering and science.
"We could do better," she said.
We've done programs with kindergarten, Grade 1 girls where girls say they're not good at math; they're better [at] reading. — Amber Jadis
Jadis did point out that P.E.I. had one of the best equity rankings, a measure that looks at the gap between the highest-performing and lowest-performing students. "It looks like we're bringing a lot of students up to reach the minimum bar," she said.
A lot of it comes down to attitudes about math, and getting more people excited about the subject in schools, Jadis said. She added that working on students' confidence around math in the younger years is key.
"We've done programs with kindergarten, Grade 1 girls where girls say they're not good at math; they're better [at] reading," she said.
Minister calls results 'promising'
In a news release Tuesday, Minister of Education and Early Years Natalie Jameson said the PISA results provide insight into how the education system is performing after the pandemic disruption years of 2020 and 2021.
Minister of Education and Early Years Natalie Jameson issued a statement calling the PISA tests 'an important tool for our curriculum team, as we continue to strength our Island's education system.' (Rick Gibbs/CBC)
"These results are incredibly promising," she was quoted as saying. "They affirm that our education system is effective, with P.E.I. student performance aligning with other provinces and Canada, a global leader in education.
"PISA is an important tool for our curriculum team, as we continue to strength our Island's education system."
Provincial officials said they were reviewing the report and it was too early to respond to specific results.
Officials did say they would use the information to update policies and consider whether to change any instructional practices.
