Here in Canada, provincial test results also show post-closure declines, but the unique testing procedures used in each province may underestimate the problem. Currently, the most comprehensive findings available are from the recently released Progress in International Reading Literacy Study , which assesses reading ability of children in Grade Four—a strategically crucial age when schools typically shift focus from learning to read to reading to learn.
Average scores for the great majority of 22 participants dropped significantly from their 2016 results. The average 2021 scores for Alberta and B.C. were significantly lower than their 2006 scores, and Alberta’s 2021 score was also significantly lower than the 2011 score.Article content Taken together with the extended declines in other jurisdictions, this reminds us that basic education policies can have longer-term consequences than transient disturbances, however severe. This, in turn, implies that better organized and operated schools are likely better able to cushion their students from environmental disturbances and help them compensate for temporary loss of learning.