High marks for diploma exam results

Alberta's education department is awarding high marks to the results of this year’s diploma exams.

Results released Tuesday show more students attained the standards of 'excellence' and 'acceptable' on 2010 Provincial Achievement Tests.

But there were some numbers the department was not happy with.

A drop in some marks — particularly English Language Arts 30-1 — suggest that while students understand what they read, their ability to analyze and write about the material is declining.

Education Minister Dave Hancock said the department is looking into the results.

"Standardized testing can easily identify trends, but it can’t determine why a specific result is going up or down."

The department also said it continues to worry about aboriginal students. However, while only one of three aboriginal students finish high school, diploma exam results show those remaining in school are doing better on the exams than in years past.

"We can be very happy about the pace of the change but we have to I think acknowledge as a department, as school boards and as a society that there's a lot more work to be done and we have to keep on that and do a lot more," said Hancock.

The provincial achievement tests are completed each year by students in grades 3, 6, 9 and 12.

Parents and some teachers worrry there may be too much pressure on Grade 3s to do these standardized tests.

Hancock says he is willing to look at other ways to analyze how younger grades are performing, but said he has not found anything that works as well.