PCAP- 2010 for Grade 8 Canadians PCAP- 2010 The performance of Canada’s youth in science, reading and mathematics PCAP- 2010 for Grade 8 Canadians

Overview of PCAP 2010 Participants 10 provinces, 1 territory Canada Participants 10 provinces, 1 territory Population Grade 8 youth Number of participating students Approximately 32 000 students (24 000 English, 8000 French) in Canada Approximately 3 000 students (2800 English, 200 French) in Saskatchewan Domains Major: Mathematics Minor: Reading and Science # Languages English and French Assessment pieces 90 minutes hours of direct skills assessment through reading, mathematics, and science 30-minute contextual student questionnaire administered school questionnaire administered to school principals teacher questionnaire administered to the classroom math teacher

PCAP 2010 Key Findings Saskatchewan Grade 8 students performed significantly below the Canadian average in science, reading, and mathematics.. Although Saskatchewan’s raw score has risen slightly across domains, our rank within in the country remains basically unchanged at 6th for Mathematics and for Science and has risen to 4th in reading. When confidence intervals are taken into account, Saskatchewan could rank anywhere from 4th to 9th in the country in any of the domains. The findings of PCAP 2010 are similar to the findings in PISA 2009 in terms of Saskatchewan’s rank within the country The percentage of students achieving Level 2 (acceptable) or higher performing in mathematics is approximately 90%, however, only 1% of Saskatchewan students are reaching the highest level. Saskatchewan has one of the lowest scores in the mathematics sub-domain of Geometry and Measurement compared to the other jurisdictions. The mean score for both Saskatchewan male and females students is significantly below that of their Canadian counterparts. The mean scores of Grade 8 Saskatchewan students reading is considerably higher in 2010 than the mean scores of the Grade 8 Saskatchewan students in 2007.

Definition of Mathematical Literacy Mathematical literacy is defined as the capacity to identify and understand the role that mathematics plays in the world, to make well-founded judgments, and to use and engage with mathematics in ways that meet the needs of that individual’s life as a constructive, concerned and reflective citizen.

Saskatchewan’s Mathematics Performance An Overall Picture

Saskatchewan’s Mathematics Performance A Canadian Picture Provinces performing significantly better than the Canadian average Ontario Quebec Provinces performing as well as Canadian average Alberta Provinces performing significantly lower than the Canada average British Columbia Newfoundland PEI Nova Scotia New Brunswick Manitoba Saskatchewan Yukon

Saskatchewan’s Mathematics Performance

Saskatchewan’s Mathematics Performance A Longitudinal Picture Below Canada Similar to Canada Above Canada

Features of the Mathematics Subscales Numbers and Operations: includes concepts the four operations, comparing, ordering equivalency, representation, properties of squares, square roots, factors, prime factorization, fractions, decimals, rational numbers integers, percents, rates, ratios, and the four operations Geometry and Measurement: includes comparing, classifying, finding relationships between, congruence of, area of, polygons, triangles, angles, rectangle, parallelograms translations, rotations, reflections, ordered pairs, radii, diameter, circumference, right prisms, pyramids Patterns and Relations: includes representing, connecting, generalizing, translating, evaluating and showing equivalency of patterns, linear relationships, algebraic expressions and expressions Data Management and Probability: collect, organize, display, analyze date, find measures of central tendency and determine probabilities of single to two independent events

Saskatchewan’s Performance on Mathematics Subscales Compared to Canada

Definition of Reading Literacy Reading literacy is defined as an individual’s capacity to understand, use and reflect on written texts in order to achieve one’s goals, to develop one’s knowledge and potential, and to participate in society.

Saskatchewan’s Reading Performance An Overall Picture

Saskatchewan’s Reading Performance A Canadian Picture Provinces performing significantly better than the Canadian average Ontario Provinces performing as well as Canadian average Alberta British Columbia Provinces performing significantly lower than the Canada average Newfoundland PEI Quebec Nova Scotia New Brunswick Manitoba Saskatchewan Yukon

Saskatchewan’s Reading Performance A Longitudinal Picture Below Canada Similar to Canada Above Canada

Definition of Scientific Literacy Scientific literacy is defined as an individual’s capacity to use scientific knowledge, to identify questions and to draw evidence-based conclusions in order to understand and help make decisions about the natural world and the changes made to it through human activity.

Saskatchewan’s Science Performance An Overall Picture

Saskatchewan’s Science Performance A Canadian Picture Provinces performing significantly better than the Canadian average Alberta Ontario Provinces performing as well as Canadian average British Columbia PEI Provinces performing significantly lower than the Canada average Newfoundland PEI Quebec New Brunswick Nova Scotia Manitoba Saskatchewan Yukon

Saskatchewan’s Science Performance A Longitudinal Picture Below Canada Similar to Canada Above Canada

Saskatchewan’s Performance Gender Differences–Mathematics

Saskatchewan’s Performance Language Differences–Mathematics