PRINCE ALBERT — The final draft of the 2023-2024 annual report for the Prince Albert Catholic School Division was approved during the board of education’s regular meeting on Dec. 16.
The report highlighted the division’s accomplishments, but Director of Education Lorel Trumier said the school year did not come without challenges.
"We had some very considerable events occur, such as the teachers’ negotiations for their collective bargaining agreement at the provincial level. Obviously, that was a big element of last year, and we did experience some disruption,” Trumier said.
Among the highlights for Trumier was the graduation rates and Grade 3 reading data, which was included in previous reports and the annual report.
“We saw increasing numbers of students in their reading results, and again ( Catholic school division students are) outperforming the graduation rates for the province,” she said. “Even with all of those (disruptions) at play, we've had a very productive year and we are sensing that the families appreciate it because we've had some really good results and increasing numbers.”
The graduation rates for Ecole St. Mary High School have met or outperformed the provincial results in all categories since the province started a growth plan in 2020 focused on eliminating the disparity between FNMI and non-FMNI students.
Roughly 67 per cent of Prince Albert Catholic School Division FNMI students graduate within three years of starting high school. That’s well above the 47 per cent three-year graduation rate for FNMI students across the rest of the province. For non-FNMI students, 98 per cent graduate within three years in the Prince Albert Catholic School Division, while the provincial rate is 92 per cent.
Of the PA Catholic FNMI students who do not graduate within three years, 78 per cent graduate in five years. For the rest of Saskatchewan, that number is 57 per cent.
Grade 3 reading levels are another data point that is monitored by the province. The division has experienced challenges in that area because of the COVID-19 pandemic and students not being in school. However, the report said the division is making progress.
Students in Grade 3 in 2023-2024 had 41.7 per cent of First Nations Metis Inuit (FNMI) reading at or above grade level, along with 65.3 per cent non-FNMI for a total of 41.5 per cent. Students in Grade 3 began school in 2021 when the COVID-19 pandemic was still presenting challenges.
The report still has to be approved by the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Finance. The report was expected to be delivered to the Office of the Clerk on Dec. 19 to be tabled and then to the Saskatchewan Legislative Library for deposit,
The annual report will be posted on the Government of Saskatchewan website at the end of January and will be available to the public at the Legislative Library.
