More than two-thirds of Grade 4 and Grade 7 students met or exceeded expectations in this year's Foundational Skills Assessment (FSA).

FSA is an annual assessment of student achievement in the foundation skills of reading, writing and numeracy. The purpose of FSA is to help the Ministry of Education, school districts and parents evaluate student achievement in these core skills and to plan for improvement. FSA is one of many measures used to assess student achievement and supplements other information gathered in classrooms during the year.

With limited exceptions, all Grade 4 and Grade 7 students are expected to participate in FSA. Approximately 75,000, or 84 per cent of students, wrote the assessment in 2012. This overall participation rate has remained constant since 2009.

Quotes:

George Abbott, Minister of Education -

"FSA results are an important tool in measuring student achievement provincewide. They give parents, teachers, school districts and schools a snapshot of how students are doing in the core skills of reading, writing and numeracy."

"Parents want this information, and I believe the more information parents have, the better able they are to support and help to improve the learning of their children."

Quick Facts:

• FSA was designed and developed by B.C. educators and based on the B.C. curriculum.
• It measures student achievement in the foundation skills of reading, writing and numeracy.

• Percentage of students meeting or exceeding expectations in 2012 are as follows:
• Grade 4 reading: 70 per cent (up one per cent over 2011)
• Grade 4 writing: 72 per cent (down one per cent over 2011)
• Grade 4 numeracy: 68 per cent ( up one per cent over 2011)
• Grade 7 reading: 64 per cent (down two per cent over 2011)
• Grade 7 writing: 71 per cent (down one per cent over 2011)
• Grade 7 numeracy: 60 per cent (down two per cent over 2011)

Learn More:

BC's Education Plan: http://www.bcedplan.ca/

Provincial, district and school FSA 2012 results are available on the Ministry of Education website: http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/reporting/

For key facts, sample questions, tips on preparing students, and what to expect when taking the FSA, visit: http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/assessment/fsa/

Media Contact:

Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Education
250 356-5963