Provincial evaluation shows RVS improving

The fourth and final quarter results from a province-wide accountability progress report for the 2011-2012 school year revealed Rocky View Schools (RVS) has significantly improved.

“Overall, it’s a general upward trend yet again,” said Greg Bass, RVS superintendent of schools about the Alberta Education Accountability Pillar Online Report Initiative (APORI) summary he provided to RVS board of trustees, Oct. 4.

According to Alberta Education’s improvement evaluation, RVS improved in diploma participation rates, Provincial Achievement Tests (PAT), Rutherford scholarships and APORI satisfaction rates.

RVS students’ participation in diploma exams is up 4.7 per cent from the previous year and is 7.5 per cent greater than the provincial average of 56.2 per cent.

About 63 per cent of RVS students received the Rutherford scholarship for achieving 75 per cent or more on five high school courses, which is 7.5 per cent greater than the provincial average.

The report also revealed 8.5 per cent more RVS students are finishing high school than the provincial average of 82.6 per cent.

At the Grade 12 level, RVS students surpassed or were equal to their provincial counterpart’s performance in nine out of 11 exams at the Acceptable level and seven out of 11 at the Excellence level.

Although RVS students met or exceeded provincial expectations at the acceptable level for PATs (for grades 3, 6 and 9), they struggled to perform compared to their provincial counterparts at the standard of excellence level.

When asked by the board about this matter, Bass acknowledged a changing learning environment.

“Assessment is changing,” he said. “This cohort of students (in RVS) is far more gifted than paper-and-pencil tests (show).”

Trustee Bev LaPeare said she is happy with the results.

“When we come from a place of high achievement, it’s difficult to keep going higher and higher and higher,” she said.