Public schools gain ground in Fraser Institute's 2017 rankings

Private schools yet again placed at the top of the Fraser Institute's controversial rankings of B.C. elementary schools — but this year it was public schools that showed the most improvement over previous years, according to the think tank's ranking system.

"What we found is 61 schools improved, all but four of them were public schools," said report co-author Peter Cowley, director of school performance studies with the Fraser Institute.

"That just underscores that every school can improve, doesn't matter if they are in a rich neighbourhood or a poor one, rural or urban, independent or public — all schools can improve." 

The ratings are based on data collected from the Foundation Skills Assessment test, a standardized test given to all B.C. students in Grades 4 and 7, to give each school a rating out of 10.

The rankings are based on the average FSA score in reading, writing and numeracy, as well as factors such as the difference between male and female students' average scores at the Grade 7 level and the percentage of tests that weren't written because students were absent or exempted from writing the test.

As in years past, private schools such as Vancouver's St. George's School, Crofton House and West Point Grey Academy continue to hold the top spots.

"There are just two public schools in the top 20 and those two are in West Vancouver, but that's not a surprise," Cowley said.

Rankings long been criticized

The B.C. Teachers' Federation has long criticized the Fraser Institute's methodology of using data from the FSA test for their rankings.

The BCTF have previously sent letters to parents asking them to exempt their children from the FSA test.

In December 2016 the Surrey Board of Education voted to write to B.C. Minister of Education Mike Bernier to request changes to the FSA testing, including "that an alternate method of sampling be provided which prohibits the ranking of schools and still supports identifying the needs of all learners including our most vulnerable."

Cowley said the Fraser Institute has often been criticized for their rankings making it "impossible" for schools to show improvement.

But he says that this year's results show that schools serving different populations all over the province can become better, at least according to their FSA scores — and cited Newton Elementary in Surrey as an example. 

"Sixty-six per cent of the kids in that school are ESL, and yet that school has found ways to improve the results over the last five years."

Cowley said he can't say why the 61 schools showing improvement through their FSA test scores have been able to achieve better results.

"It's important to know that we simply don't know why this happened," he said.

"Our job the way I see it here is to identify schools that have shown statistically significant improvement, and I think it's extraordinary important thing to take that next step which is to find out what they've done and whether or not it can be used by others to become more successful."

With files by Deborah Goble