Following a significant curriculum shift away from measurable educational outcomes, British Columbia students' international test scores from PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) have dropped below the national average and have fallen more sharply than any other province, finds a new study released by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
"Despite the B.C. provincial government declaring that it prioritizes student achievement, the new reformed B.C. curriculum has coincided with a marked decline in international test results," said Lydia Miljan, senior fellow at the Fraser Institute and author of Analyzing British Columbia's Education Curriculum How Has It Changed?
In 2015, B.C. adopted a curriculum that centres on "First Peoples' worldviews," moving away from one based on specific and measurable educational outcomes.
And since 2018, B.C. students have experienced the sharpest decline in PISA test results of any students nationwide, with specific decline in reading and mathematics. In fact, from 2018 to 2022, math scores fell from 505 to 496, falling below the national average of 497, while PISA scores for reading declined from 519 to 511.
The PISA decline coincides with a revised math curriculum. What was once contentheavy with a focus on procedural fluency and mathematical skills now includes problem-solving activities connected to place, culture, and First Peoples' worldviews, while the science curriculum that previously emphasized standardized knowledge has been revised to center on "personal engagement, cultural relevance, and interdisciplinary learning."
The current curriculum in English and Language Arts has moved away from phonicsbased learning in favour of a model that promotes exploration, expression, and inquiry-based learning.
Social studies curriculums now prioritize conceptual understanding of environmental and political decisions, their societal effects, and environmental impacts, rather than prescribed learning outcomes with specific, measurable statements of student expectations that emphasized content knowledge, scientific processes, and skills, as was the previous curriculum's standard.
"B.C.'s curriculum shift has come at a cost, as student achievement continues to decline by international comparisons," Miljan said.
"The pedagogical approach focused on facts and procedural skills. Learning based on topics and clear objectives was tied to these provincial assessments."
