Grade 3 reading levels climbing

All the way through Grade 6, every student in Vanguard School is reading at grade level.

That said, it’s “a very small school,” said Chinook School Division director of education Liam Choo-Foo. There are about 16 students in grades 1, 2 and 3.

“It could be a bit of a statistical anomaly, but we’re going to take it for what it’s worth, and every kid there is reading,” said Choo-Foo, who also works as leader of the provincial reading initiative.

Though Vanguard is way ahead of the curve, on average, the rest of the province has improved since the Education Sector Strategic Plan was implemented two years ago. In 2013, according to Education Ministry data, 65 per cent of Grade 3 students were reading at grade level. In June 2015, the average had jumped eight per cent.

The provincial strategic plan aims to have 80 per cent of Grade 3 students reading at grade level by 2020. That’s because there is research tying early years reading levels to Grade 12 graduation rates.

Last year’s 73-per-cent success rate is an average — “by definition, there’s going to be schools below the average,” Choo-Foo said.

The provincial auditor’s report released June 7 pointed to one below-average school division: In the North East School Division, 66 per cent of Grade 3 students were reading at or above grade level.

Choo-Foo said some school divisions had set non-reading priorities prior to 2014, whether in math or science or First Nations education. He said North East was “doing some really good work” on curriculum outcomes — students understanding what they’re taught in a given grade.