At their November 29 Regular Board Meeting, the Board of Trustees accepted the Black Gold School Division’s 2022-2023 Annual Education Results Report (AERR) as presented for submission to Alberta Education by November 30, 2023.

Annually, the Division reviews student performance and results to assess progress toward achieving the goals outlined by Alberta Education and the school division’s Education Plan. The review includes examining and reporting on provincial and local measures and identifying strategies that inspire success.

“This type of reporting is an integral component of school authority accountability and assurance,” said Board Chair Esther Eckert. “Our Administrative team develops this annual report to provide information related to progress made on the goals established in the previous year’s Education Plan.”

“Our current results have increased over the last year in most measures, particularly the high number of students participating and achieving the standard of Acceptable for the Provincial Achievement Tests and diploma results – this continues to be an area of strength,” said Norm Dargis, Associate Superintendent – Learning Services. “Our curriculum implementation strategies were very successful, and this has led to success in all local measures. We also had continued improvement in all measures related to Indigenous students, and we continue to have low student dropout rates.”

Overall, the AERR results show increases in improvement over last year in most measures:

• The number of students achieving the standard of Acceptable for Provincial Achievement Tests and Diploma Results continues to be an area of strength
• Drop-out rates remain low, which reflects a provincial achievement rating of excellent.
• Continued improvement in all measures related to Indigenous students
• Our successful Curriculum implementation strategies, and
• Success in all local measures results

Areas of focus and review include:

• Student eligibility for Rutherford scholarships
• High school transition to post-secondary education
• Our English as an Additional Language results

“Returning schools to normal operations – extracurricular activities, volunteering, field trips, clubs, and more – has helped position our students for future success,” said Dargis. “All aspects of student and staff wellness have been, and will continue to be, prioritized in our schools moving forward.”