Yukon gov't promises new strategy this fall to measure student outcomes

The Yukon's education department says it's going to roll out a student outcome strategy in September, six years after the auditor general of Canada told the territory it needed one.

The strategy will include "clearly defined outcomes" for students, the department says.

Those outcomes will include traditional benchmarks, like test scores and graduation rates, but it will also assess whether students have the skills and confidence to achieve their career and life goals, and whether they understand Yukon First Nations history and worldviews, according to Ash Kayseas, assistant deputy minister with the territory's education department.

"The strategy is really taking a more holistic approach," Kayseas said.

The student outcome strategy has been created in response to a review of Yukon's Department of Education by Canada's auditor general in 2019. That review found that Yukon schools were failing to meet the needs of First Nations and rural students as well as those with special needs.

In the report that followed that review, the auditor general made seven recommendations to the Yukon Government on how to address those gaps.

The education department published a progress report this week on implementing those recommendations, for the standing committee on public accounts.

The first recommendation from the auditor general in 2019 was that the Yukon Government develop a student outcomes strategy. The auditor general's report said the strategy should analyze the root causes of poor student outcomes; define performance targets; and strategize to meet the targets and analyze their effectiveness.

Kayseas calls the territory's new strategy "integral" to addressing the auditor general's concerns. The department is entering consultation with the Yukon Association of Education Professionals before it comes into effect next school year, he said. 

Ted Hupé, president of the Yukon Association of Education Professionals, said he has reviewed the strategy, which includes 14 outcomes for student success. He said it's too early to be overly critical, but from the outset, the outcomes seem difficult for educators to measure.

"We always want 'SMART' goals — goals that are specific, measurable. And if we don't have that, sometimes you can get lost in the weeds," Hupé said.

All seven of the auditor general's 2019 recommendations are being acted on, the government says. Kayseas says the department is making progress, though it's received criticism in recent years for moving too slowly on the project.

"I think the challenge – in terms of the pace – is really related to this being a systemic issue, and there's some deep-seated systemic challenges within the field of education that really are complex in nature," Kayseas said.

The first recommendation, to address long-standing gaps in student performance, will be addressed by the student outcome strategy, the department says.