Thread by @KLamrock

I've promised a Twitter essay on some big education news in #nbpoli for a while. Here goes.

Those who care about literacy and education policy, it's worth plowing through. I promise.

1. So, the Pan-Canadian Assessment Programme (PCAP) reported earlier this month. That's where provincial governments measure their student performance in reading, math and science.

Report here: cmec.ca/Publications/L…

2. The 2016 report on Grade 8s would deal with children who began Kindergarten in 2007-08. That's actually the cohort that has the highest Grade 2 literacy scores in NB history.

3. At first blush, a bit of a letdown....NB was 5th among provinces in Math, 7th in Science, 9th in Reading. That's better than 10th across the board, where we have been. But still not best in Canada.

4. However, I spent some time with the results to see if we IMPROVED. A pet peeve of mine is that we sometimes write about education and say "We didn't become first overnight, so NOTHING has worked in years". Because that isn't so.

5. Remember that a generation ago, nearly half of children weren't meeting literacy standards. Not everything worked since then, but clearly some things did. And knowing what helped make small gains is key to making big gains over time.

6. So here's some good news in education.....between 2010 and 2016, New Brunswick students improved more than students anywhere else in Canada. BIGGEST GAINS IN EDUCATION -- NEW BRUNSWICK! #nbpoli

7. New Brunswick gained in math, a lot....

8. New Brunswick had a huge jump in science scores....

9. And since 2013, we gained in literacy -- a bit less relatively, but still significant:

10. To put those gains in context, the gap between the lowest province in Canada (MB, 487) and the top (PEI, 513) is 26 points. Any change over 8 is significant. Jumps of 18-32 points are a big deal.

11. Gains since 2010 are less dramatic, but show steady improvement. Like reading....

12. And math.....

(Science we have only 2013)

13. But you can also dig deeper and see which NB system jumped, and when. And those results get VERY interesting, indeed.

14. Remember, we are discussing Kindergarten entry classes of 2001, 2004 and 2007. The best predictor of Grade 8 results are where the children were after Grade 2, what Doug Willms calls the transition from "learning to read to reading to learn"......

15. The literacy gains of the anglophone sector in NB are striking. Remember, this is on a scale where 26 points separate 10th from 1st...

16. The anglophone sector jumps more than the gap between the whole system. It's 13 points more than the next biggest jump.

17. And those reading gains seem to auger big jumps in Science.....

18. In Math.....

19. And together, the jump across the board is unmistakably big, relatively speaking.....

20. Vital takeaway.....don't let the fact we didn't leapfrog everyone immediately distract you from this truth...NB schools and teachers are gaining on the rest of Canada and improving more than anywhere else. #nbpoli

21. Also, for all the complaints about government changes over the years, changes to K to 2 from 2001-2007 made big, steady improvements.

22. Now....(dangerous point ahead)...did you notice the BIGGEST gains? #nbpoli

23. The biggest jump, one that is bigger than any other Canadian sub-group, was made by thé NB Anglophone sector by the kids who began Grade 1 in 2008. Did any big change, unique to the NB Anglo sector, happen for Grade 1 kids in 2008? #nbpoli

24. I'll wait....... :)

25. Finally, doesn't this validate those who told the Gallant government to wait for the assessments? And raise some questions for those who made the change w/o the search? #nbpoli

26. It's all an important story. NB media, next step is yours...... #nbpoli