Students in School District 73 (Kamloops-Thompson) consistently score above the provincial average in the Foundation Skills Assessment, according to a report from superintendent Terry Sullivan.
Overall, students in the school district scored eight percentage points above the provincial average in all three test measures.
Aboriginal students in School District 73 scored 12 per cent higher than their provincial counterparts.
The six-year Dogwood completion rate for Aboriginals in School District 73 is at an all time high at 69 per cent, far above the provincial Aboriginal completion rate of 49.4 per cent over the past five years.
Since 2007/2008 the percentage of Aboriginal students completing school within six years rose by 18.8 per cent in the District. Aboriginal males showed the most improvement, going from 43 per cent in 2007/2008 to 52 per cent in 2010/2011.
Sullivan reported that the school district success rate for 2011/2012 is 81.2 per cent, which is significantly higher than the estimated six-year completion rate of 77.8 per cent, and only 3.8 per cent off the district’s target of 85 per cent.
The success rate is calculated by adding together the students who successfully complete the BC Adult Graduation Diploma, the School Completion Certificate and the BC Dogwood School Graduation Program.
Challenging areas include numeracy for Grade 4 boys and Grade 7 girls. Sullivan said it appears that between grades 4 and 7 all students in the district lose ground in numeracy, particularly the Aboriginal students.
Sullivan presented his report to the school board during its regular meeting on Monday, Dec. 17.