YELLOWKNIFE (July 17, 2013) – The Northwest Territories (NWT) released the 2012 Alberta Achievement Tests (AAT), Functional Grade Levels (FGL), and attendance results today.

AATs are standardized tests that measure student performance in NWT curriculum in the areas of Language Arts and Mathematics.  Students in grades 3, 6 and 9 write the tests, which provide a snapshot of a student’s performance on one particular day.

The FGLs, in contrast, show aspects of student performance over the full year.  This is the curriculum level at which a student is working for the majority of the school year in Language Arts and Mathematics. Reporting is based on a variety of classroom assessment methods by teachers over the course of the year.

“Each year these results help track student performance and the success of the education system in the Northwest Territories,” said Minister of Education, Culture and Employment Jackson Lafferty.  “We know, however, that they only provide snapshots of particular kinds of learning.  Alberta, who we partner with on a number of education system components, is completely overhauling these assessments and developing tools designed to measure authentic student learning.  In the NWT, we have begun an Education Renewal Initiative and assessment that truly measures student learning is one of the areas we will address.”

The Education Renewal Initiative has been engaging with stakeholders for the past several months, to determine gaps and successes in the NWT education system, and to use this information to inform a new direction for education in the North.  The GNWT is not the only jurisdiction analyzing its education system; boards and governments across Canada and the world are looking at how their systems meet the needs of students.  Current and emerging research is showing a worldwide need to refocus into systems that support and strengthen student competencies, rather than fitting all students into a model of prescribed outcomes.

For more information on the 2012 AAT, FGL and attendance results, please review backgrounder.

For more information:

Jacqueline McKinnon
Manager, Public Affairs
Education, Culture and Employment
Tel:         (867) 920-6222
Email:    jacqueline_mckinnon@gov.nt.ca