Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Menicoche.

Elementary and Secondary School

The Auditor General expressed concern that there was no detailed territory-wide plan to improve student performance.

A key finding of the OAG’s report is the lack of improvement in student performance between the school years ending 2005 and 2008. One bright light is an increase in the number of students of secondary school graduates; however, the results on Alberta Achievement Tests and diploma examinations, and the number of students working at their functional grade levels, show little or no improvement. The OAG questioned ECE as to how

this was possible and found that ECE had done no analysis. Without studying the results, the department is not in a position to provide optimal guidance for educational councils.

OAG Recommendation (Paragraph 52 of the OAG Report)

The Department of Education, Culture and Employment should:

•

formally identify the root causes of the

diverging trends in student performance and use this information to better target its efforts for continuous improvement; and

•

develop, in collaboration with education

councils, a comprehensive territory-wide action plan and targets for improved student performance.

In its response to the OAG, ECE has agreed to target known causes with the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative, which was developed in part to address the low attendance levels at NWT schools. An accountability framework has been drafted that will support continuous improvement efforts and provide information that can be reported to the public. A number of activities are planned to address performance issues.

Standing Committee on Government Operations believes ECE should be mindful of the importance of identifying the causes that affect performance of students. A delineation of these causes can inform planning.

The OAG noted that the department introduced the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative in order to address concerns over poor student performance.

The OAG found that the department has improved its reporting on student performance over the last four years. Indicators in ECE’s Towards Excellence: A Report on Education in the NWT were on par with those of other education and statistical organizations.

The OAG advises that it is important for ECE to keep the public and the Legislative Assembly informed about the results of its programs delivered by education councils and their impact on aboriginal peoples.

The Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative is intended to identify the root causes of low student achievement levels and provide ways to raise aboriginal secondary graduation rates to the same level as non-aboriginal rates.

The OAG noted that ECE monitors compliance with education directives but has not formally assessed their effectiveness or relevance.

The Minister has provided 20 directives to educational councils. Subjects range from calendar planning to standardized testing. The OAG’s

performance audit focused on two directives: inclusive schooling and aboriginal language and culture-based education. Inclusive schooling requires education councils to respond to the needs of individual students to develop individual learning plans when necessary. In 2006-2007, over 20 percent of the students enrolled in grades 1 to 9 were following such plans. The ALCBE directive requires education councils to provide students with school programs and learning environments that reflect, validate and promote the community’s language and culture. Education councils complied with the reporting requirements, but reports on activities were often too general to provide enough information for ECE to assess compliance.

OAG Recommendation (Paragraph 63 of the OAG Report)

The Department of Education, Culture and Employment should:

•

follow up on corrective actions taken by

education councils to address issues the department has raised as a result of its monitoring of education directives;

•

develop a strategy and timetable for formally assessing the success and continued relevance of education directives; and

•

formally strengthen the reporting requirements for the aboriginal language and culture-based education directive.

In its action plan, ECE acknowledges this finding and intends to strengthen its reporting requirements. The directive on student assessment will be amended in time for the 2010-2011 school year. The policy review framework has been developed, a working group of departmental and education authority officials will be established to begin this work, and a schedule of reviews will be developed.

The ALCBE directive will be the first directive to be reviewed. ECE will undertake consultation with the education authorities during this fiscal year to determine how additional jurisdictional information could be provided in future editions of Towards Excellence.

The OAG found that the department has improved its reporting on student performance over the last four years but the OAG warns that it is important for ECE to inform the Legislative Assembly and the public about its results, including the program impact on aboriginal peoples.

Currently, ECE reports mainly on community size. It does not break down results into categories by education council, ethnicity or gender. Residents of a particular region cannot compare the performance of their students with those of other regions in the Northwest Territories. The OAG

notes that such comparisons could lead to sharing of good school practices.

OAG Recommendation (Paragraph 66 of the OAG Report)

The Department of Education, Culture and Employment should:

•

ensure that key performance indicators are

publicly reported to the Legislative Assembly according to major categories such as education council, ethnicity and gender; and

•

report these key performance indicators in its Towards Excellence report.

In its action plan, ECE reports that it will undertake consultations with the education authorities during this fiscal year to determine how additional jurisdictional information could be provided in future editions of Towards Excellence.

Standing Committee on Government Operations observed that the cost of the two initiatives the OAG reviewed, inclusive schooling and ALCBE, was $33 million 2008 and yet there was no evidence that these programs had improved student performance. In fact, there was evidence of a downward trend in performance in: (1) non-aboriginal secondary school graduation; (2) grades 3, 6 and 9 language arts; and (3) Grade 3 math. The committee is pleased that ECE is reviewing the ALCBE directive and, in addition, sees the need for a review of inclusive schooling.

Although Standing Committee on Government Operations agrees with the recommendation to publicly report key indicator information by education council, ethnicity and gender, the committee accepts that there may be a need to address individual privacy by aggregating data when necessary.

That now concludes my portion of the report and I’d like to pass the floor to my colleague Mr. Abernethy, MLA for Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to thank my colleague Mr. Hawkins.

Recommendation 3

The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the Department of Education, Culture and Employment review both the aboriginal language and culture-based education directive and the inclusive schooling directive in order to identify the strengths and weaknesses of both initiatives.

Recommendation 4

The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the Department

of Education, Culture and Employment report performance according to major categories such as education council, ethnicity and gender, with a recognition that it may sometimes be necessary to aggregate data to protect the privacy of individual students.

Adult and Post-Secondary Education

Forty percent of Aurora College students are enrolled in the Adult Literacy and Basic Education Program (ALBE). ALBE has had consistent enrolment numbers for four years but during the same time period the total of all Aurora College graduates decreased by about 33 percent. This is attributed mainly to the discontinuation of welding and other apprenticeship programs.

The OAG identified gaps in the measurement of the performance of adult and post-secondary students.

The Auditor General found that ECE and Aurora College have reasonable performance indicators including rates of completion of certificate, diploma and degree programs; graduate satisfaction with the quality of the college programs; and graduate employment six months after graduation. However, the OAG observed that ECE has not developed a strategy to achieve established targets. Further, the method of determining program completion rates is inaccurate. Rates are expressed as a percentage of students in their final year and thus there is no accounting for students who leave programs earlier.

OAG Recommendation (Paragraph 67 of the OAG Report)

The Department of Education, Culture and Employment should:

•

work with Aurora College to establish

consistent performance indicators and targets for adult and post-secondary education; and

•

clarify how it intends to achieve its

performance targets.

In its action plan to address the OAG’s recommendations, ECE has committed to working with Aurora College in 2010 to develop an accountability framework that will support the establishment of consistent performance indicators and targets. Annual and multi-year program plans will be adapted to reflect these indicators and targets.

The OAG observed progress in identifying labour market needs and coordinating training.

The OAG expected ECE and Aurora College to assess territory-wide labour market needs to inform its training delivery decisions but no such process happened. To its credit, ECE used many methods: partnering with industries such as mining to produce sector-specific needs assessments; working with the Bureau of Statistics to develop

comprehensive territorial labour market reviews on employment and unemployment trends; hosting forums and promoting the establishment of regional training coordination committees. Still, the OAG observed that the market needs of some key sectors and regions were neglected.

OAG Recommendation (Paragraph 84 of the OAG Report)

The Department of Education, Culture and Employment should:

•

complete an assessment of labour market

needs for all major sectors and regions; and

•

use the assessment information to determine how best to design and deliver its programs to help fill gaps in the labour market.

In its response to the OAG, ECE reports it is working on a Labour Force Development Framework that will address training needs and coordination through the development and implementation of specific strategies to support the NWT labour market based on the assessment of needs.

The OAG advises that the Department’s monitoring and assessment of its post-secondary education and training programs is incomplete.

ECE and Aurora College regularly collect data on the delivery and results of education and training but there are significant gaps. There is no tracking of adults who complete part of their training at the college and then transfer to programs at southern institutions, or take training provided through partnerships with organizations such as the Mine Training Society. ECE:

•

does not analyze data collected to improve

program delivery;

•

does not regularly evaluate the results of

existing training programs; and

•

cannot demonstrate what progress has been made or if existing training programs should be maintained, modified, or new ones considered.

OAG Recommendation (Paragraph 87 of the OAG report)

The Department of Education, Culture and Employment, in consultation with Aurora College, should:

•

identify and collect relevant data on the results of training delivered through partnerships;

•

undertake a more rigorous analysis of the data in order to assess the success of adult and post-secondary education and training programs; and

•

undertake improvements to these programs.

ECE reports that once the accountability framework is developed in 2010, it will work with Aurora College to improve the monitoring, reporting and review processes for training programs, including those undertaken through partnerships.

The OAG advises that monitoring of compliance with the adult literacy and basic education directive is inadequate.

Adult Literacy and Basic Education (ALBE) is an education directive meant to increase low literacy rates among adults in the Territory. Aurora College delivers ALBE programming ranging from basic literacy to grade 12-level courses at all campuses and community learning centres. Reporting requirements for the college include basic information on ALBE programs, including numbers of individuals enrolled and results achieved. However, Aurora College provides limited detail and incomplete information, making it difficult for ECE to assess compliance with the directive.

Mr. Speaker, I will now pass the remainder of the document of Mr. Yakeleya. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues.

OAG Recommendation (Paragraph 92 of the OAG report)

The Department of Education, Culture and Employment, in collaboration with Aurora College, should:

•

establish key performance indicators and

targets for expected results for adult literacy and basic education programs;

•

review the reporting requirements of the adult literacy and basic education directive to ensure that key information is being collected;

•

ensure these reporting requirements are

coordinated with those of the literacy strategy;

•

monitor adherence to these reporting

requirements, and take formal action in cases where requirements are not met; and

•

periodically assess gaps in performance,

identify root causes and establish detailed action plans to help close the gaps.

ECE’s action plan indicates it will be conducting a formal evaluation of the Adult Literacy and Basic Education program in 2010. Results will be used to determine further actions related to this recommendation.

The Department is developing a tool to track planning, monitoring, reporting and evaluation of advanced education activities, and a youth literacy gap analysis is being completed.

The OAG states that reporting on the post-secondary system is not timely.

Four years has passed since the post-secondary version of Towards Excellence was issued with details on performance indicators like enrolments and number of graduates by program.

Reporting makes ECE and Aurora College accountable to the public for student performance.

OAG Recommendation (Paragraph 96 of the OAG report)

The Department of Education, Culture and Employment, in collaboration with Aurora College, should:

•

review the performance indicators it reports

publicly; and

•

publish these indicators regularly.

ECE has stated it will work with Aurora College to review performance indicators and to coordinate the publishing of reports.

SCOGO looks forward to the tabling of the 2009 Towards Excellence report.

Recommendation 5

The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that when the Department of Education, Culture and Employment plans and designs a new program or initiative, it identifies the means to be used to assess, measure and report on the program or initiative.

Conclusion

Having completed its review of the Report of the Auditor General on Education in the Northwest Territories, the committee acknowledges the commitment and dedication of education councils and Aurora College. It recognizes the many challenges facing ECE and suggests that it is not a matter of offering more programs, but a matter of focusing on improving delivery of basic programming as well as improving delivery of programs that prove effective in achieving higher student success rates. Members are hopeful that the organization is willing to rally its staff to address these challenges. If these challenges are not addressed, children, youth and adults in our education system will suffer the consequences.

Recommendation 6

The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment provide periodic updates on the progress of the implementation of the Auditor General’s recommendations through status reports to the Standing Committee on Social Programs.

Recommendation 7

The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories provide a comprehensive response to this report within 120 days.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.