2015 Fraser Institute school rankings list fastest improving schools
Surrey's Beaver Creek Elementary School one of B.C.'s 'fastest improving'
The annual Fraser Institute elementary school rankings are out, including a list of the fastest improving schools in B.C.
The report rates 978 public and independent elementary schools based on the results from the government's 2013-14 Foundation Skills Assessments. The FSA tests are administered by the province each year in grades four and seven.
Once again private schools dominate the top rankings. The top public elementary school in the ranking was Ecole Cedardale in West Vancouver, which was tied for first with 16 other schools.
Results for high schools issued last year were also dominated by independent schools, while the top public high school was Lord Byng Secondary School in Vancouver, which ranked 21st.
Public schools improving fastest
The list also includes a list of the fastest improving schools, based on results from past five years of reports.
Report author Peter Crowley said in order to make the list, the schools need to show a statistically significant improvement in nine of 10 areas.
He notes 50 schools in the report showed a significant improvement.
"That's a big deal. We are talking about what appears to be real change. Those 50 school can be pathfinders for others to show them how they are improving," said Crowley.
"For example, one of the fastest improving schools in the province in 2014 – based on analysis of its results during the most recent five years – is Beaver Creek located in Surrey."
"Despite half of its Grade 4 class identified as ESL learners, Beaver Creek's overall rating has steadily improved to 5.6 (out of 10) in 2014 from just 2.8 in 2010."
Fastest improving schools in the report card:
- Alice Brown (Public), Langley
- Beaver Creek (Public), Surrey
- Conrad (Public), Prince Rupert
- Gibsons (Public), Gibsons
- Rosedale Traditional (Public), Rosedale
- Betty Huff (Public), Surrey
- Vermilion Forks (Public), Princeton
- Upper Pine (Public), Fort St. John
- Steeples (Public), Cranbrook
- Langley Fine Arts (Public), Fort Langley
In past years the B.C. Teachers Federation has spoken out against both the Fraser Institute report and the Foundation Skills Assessments it is based on, saying the tests add unnecessary stress for students without aiding teaching or learning, and that the rankings are not a useful way to compare schools.
The B.C. Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils has spoken out in support of the FSA tests, saying they provide important information about the effectiveness a school's programs.