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PISA Canada
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Measuring up:
Human Resources Development Canada |
Further Canadian results are available in the report , Measuring up: the performance of Canada's youth in reading, mathematics and science OECD PISA Study First results for Canadians aged 15. This publication, is available electronically without charge, through the internet at:
www.pisa.gc.ca The printed version of this report, listed as Catalogue no. 81-590-XPE at a price of $10.00 per issue, can be ordered by
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What is PISA?
The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a collaborative effort among member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to regularly assess the achievement of 15-year-olds in three domainsreading literacy, mathematical literacy and scientific literacythrough a common international test.
Three PISA cycles have been planned, each one focussing on a different literacy domain. In 2000, the major focus was reading literacy, with mathematical and scientific literacy as minor domains. As a result, there were fewer mathematics and science items included in the assessment and these items were administered to a sub-sample of participants. Mathematical and scientific literacy will be focussed on in 2003 and 2006, respectively.
Thirty-two countries participated in PISA 2000.3 In Canada, approximately 30,000 15-year-old students from more than 1,000 schools took part. A large Canadian sample was drawn so that information could be provided at both national and provincial levels.
The PISA 2000 survey included a direct assessment of students skills through reading, mathematics and science tests as well as questionnaires collecting background information from students and school principals. In Canada, a contextual questionnaire from the Youth in Transition Survey was administered simultaneously to students and an interview was also administered to their parents.4
Girls outperformed boys in reading
In PISA, girls performed significantly better than boys on the reading test in all countries and in all Canadian provinces. The lower average result for boys is a source of concern, since poor reading performance can have a profound effect on performance in other subjects.
Note: The confidence interval represents the range within which the score for the population is likely to fall 95% of the time or 19 times out of 20. Differences in average scores between two jurisdictions are not statistically significant when the confidence interval for each average score overlaps. For example, countries performing about the same as Canada have a confidence interval for the average score that overlaps with Canadas confidence interval.
Socio-economic background had a smaller impact on reading achievement in Canada than in other countries
In all participating countries, students from high socio-economic backgrounds performed better than students from low socio-economic backgrounds. Canada, however, along with Japan and Finland, exhibited far less variation in scores between students in these two groups than did most other countries. This suggests that achievement scores are more equivalent among students with different socio-economic backgrounds in Canada than they are in many other countries.
Within Canada, students from Saskatchewan exhibited less variation in reading achievement by family socio-economic background than did students in other provinces. Performance of students with a mid-to-high socio-economic background in this province, however, fell below that of several other provinces. Alberta, on the other hand, had generally the highest achievement scores across all levels of family socio-economic background, yet had greater variation in scores across socio-economic groups. Among the provinces, New-foundland had the greatest variation in reading performance across socioeconomic groups.
Family socio-economic background was derived from student responses regarding parental occupation using the International Socio-Economic Index of Occupational Status. For more information consult Chapter 3 and Annex B of the main report. |
A route to improving the reading ability of youth in all of the provinces lies in improving reading skills among economically or socially disadvantaged youth. Monitoring the performance of students within these economic groups in future PISA cycles will be an important means of evaluating Canadas success in meeting this challenge.
Outside Quebec, students in minority language school systems had lower results in reading
In Quebec, students enrolled in the anglophone school system performed as well in reading as those enrolled in the francophone school system. Among the four other provinces where students from each school system were studied separately, results differ. In Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario and Manitoba, students enrolled in the francophone school system performed, on average, at a significantly lower level in reading than students enrolled in the anglophone system. Further analysis will clarify the extent to which important background variables, such as the main language spoken at home, contribute to these differences.
Individual, family and school characteristics influence reading achievement
Students enjoyment of reading and their career expectations were two characteristics that were consistently positively related to reading proficiency across countries and Canadian provinces.
Among family characteristics, the socio-economic background of the family and the number of books in the home were factors influencing reading achievement. Other positive influences related to academic achievement were attendance at concerts, museums, and other cultural events, and the presence of parents who discussed political or social issues, books or television shows with their children.
Students of schools where the majority of the student population came from lower socio-economic backgrounds did not perform as well as students of schools where students came from higher socio-economic backgrounds. School climate was also related to reading performance in many provinces. Students attending schools with fewer disciplinary problems or fewer disruptions in the classroom tended to have higher scores.
Promise for the future
What is striking about the Canadian results is that despite having many different jurisdictions that deliver education, the outcomes of the PISA assessment are quite similar for the majority of provinces. As well, the Pan-Canadian report shows that no single factor, by itself, can explain differences in reading achievement. School, student and family characteristics work alone and in combination to influence the success of students. Nevertheless, the performance of Canadian youth in the PISA assessment appears promising for their future and for the future of Canada.
Average reading scores by gender and province and selected country
Girls | Boys | |||
Average | Confidence Interval (+ -)* | Average | Confidence Interval (+ -)* | |
CANADA | 551 | 3.4 | 519 | 3.5 |
France | 519 | 5.4 | 490 | 7.0 |
United States | 518 | 12.3 | 490 | 16.7 |
United Kingdom | 537 | 6.9 | 512 | 6.0 |
Germany | 502 | 7.7 | 468 | 6.3 |
Japan | 537 | 10.7 | 507 | 13.4 |
Italy | 507 | 7.1 | 469 | 10.2 |
Russian Federation | 481 | 8.1 | 443 | 9.0 |
Australia | 546 | 9.4 | 513 | 8.0 |
Belgium | 525 | 9.8 | 492 | 8.4 |
Finland | 571 | 5.5 | 520 | 6.0 |
Mexico | 432 | 7.6 | 411 | 8.3 |
Sweeden | 536 | 4.9 | 499 | 5.1 |
Switzerland | 510 | 9.0 | 480 | 9.7 |
Newfoundland | 538 | 6.1 | 496 | 7.4 |
Prince Edward Island | 535 | 7.0 | 500 | 6.0 |
Nova Scotia | 538 | 6.1 | 505 | 6.7 |
New Brunswick | 525 | 4.1 | 478 | 5.5 |
Quebec | 553 | 6.5 | 521 | 6.8 |
Ontario | 548 | 6.9 | 518 | 7.8 |
Manitoba | 548 | 8.4 | 513 | 7.4 |
Saskatchewan | 548 | 6.6 | 512 | 6.4 |
Alberta | 571 | 7.1 | 533 | 7.9 |
British Columbia | 555 | 6.6 | 523 | 7.9 |
Note: For each province and selected country, where differences in average scores are statistically significant, scores are bolded. As in the main report, only selected countries are presented.
* The confidence interval represents the range within which the score for the population is likely to fall 95% of the time or 19 times out of 20. The upper bound is the average score plus the interval value and the lower bound is the average score minus the interval value.
Average reading scores by language of the school system and province
Anglophone | Francophone | |||
Average | Confidence Interval (+ -)* |
Average | Confidence Interval (+ -)* |
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Nova Scotia | 522 | 4.7 | 474 | 10.4 |
New Brunswick | 512 | 4.6 | 478 | 5.1 |
Quebec | 543 | 9.1 | 535 | 6.6 |
Ontario | 535 | 6.7 | 474 | 14.7 |
Manitoba | 530 | 7.1 | 486 | 10.9 |
Note: For each province, where differences in average scores
are statistically significant, scores are bolded.
* The confidence interval represents the range within wh
ich
the score for the population is likely to fall 95% of the
average score plus the interval value and the lower bound
is the average score minus the interval value.
Notes
Last Modified: 2003-08-12 | Important Notices |