WHEREAS the primary purpose of the educational system is to provide students with basic education as well as knowledge and intellectual skills to move into the work force or pursue post secondary education, so that students can participate fully in and contribute to the rapidly changing and technology-dominated global society; and

WHEREAS students leaving our educational system without strong basic competencies may experience difficulty accessing post-secondary education and the labour market; and

WHEREAS the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) quantifies trends and measures educational outcomes in three key areas (reading, mathematics and science), assessing the extent to which youth at age 15 have acquired the essential knowledge and skills for full participation in modern society; and

WHEREAS in a global economy, educational success is not measured against provincial or national standards, but against the top performing educational systems in the world; and

WHEREAS PISA scores for PEI students decreased significantly from 2003 to 2012 – in 2012 PEI students were unique in Canada in scoring below the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) average (and the lowest in Canada) in all three domains – science, reading and math; and

WHEREAS the recent PISA report confirms that PEI was the only province in Canada to score below the OECD average in all three domains: reading, mathematics and science, and

WHEREAS the 2012 PISA results show the average math score for PEI students was 39 points, or a full year of schooling, below Canadian average and 11 points below the next Canadian province; and

WHEREAS 25% of PEI students scored below level 2 in math, the OECD benchmark level, meaning they do not have the baseline mathematical proficiency required to participate fully in society; and

WHEREAS the average mark in the 2011-12 provincial intermediate grade nine math assessment was 66%; and

WHEREAS parents are losing confidence in the PEI educational system to deliver quality curriculum and learning opportunities and subsequent outcomes for students; and

WHEREAS an under-performing public education system will continue to hinder economic prosperity and innovation, productivity and competitiveness of our province and promotes a culture of mediocrity instead of excellence;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that, the Minister of Education acknowledge there is an urgent problem with student achievement in PEI and publicly declare it the number one priority of the Ministry of Education; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that pursuant the Schools Act, the Minister of Education & Early Childhood Development establish the expected PEI academic outcomes and standards of academic performance for mathematics, science and reading, that are consistent with national and international standards, and take immediate steps to assess the extent to which outcomes are achieved and standards are met; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the P.E.I. Home and School Federation requests the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development to commit to including the P.E.I. Home and School Federation as a partner in the development of a specific strategy and and plan by April 2015 to have P.E.I. students meet the national average to address the student achievement gap in Prince Edward Island; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the P.E.I. Home and School Federation requests the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development to issue an annual report to inform the public and parents and students on the state of the P.E.I. education system.