If you have children in the New Brunswick school system, you need to see the latest reading and writing scores. Auditor General Paul Martin released a new report showing schools across the province missed all literacy assessment targets in recent years.
The findings reveal a clear struggle in both the anglophone and francophone sectors. According to the CBC News report, some schools consistently fail these provincial assessments.
Failing Grades Across the Board
The numbers paint a stark picture of the current education landscape. During the 2024 to 2025 school year, zero students at one francophone school passed the Grade 2 reading assessment. Only four francophone schools hit the provincial target.
The anglophone sector faces the exact same problem. Only four anglophone schools passed the Grade 4 reading assessment during that same period. Five anglophone schools performed consistently below the provincial average on every single assessment during the audit period.
This is a long term trend. In 2022, New Brunswick ranked last in the country for 15 year olds performing at or above baseline proficiency.
“It is unfortunate that I have to spend resources and time and taxpayer money to go after the same problems,” Martin told reporters. “They are the people that are going to be in these seats in the future. I want them to be well educated.”
Students Left Without Support
Missing targets is only part of the problem. The report shows the Department of Education lacks a clear process to identify when a district or school needs help.
More than 50 percent of students who miss required literacy targets do not receive extra support like personalized learning plans. Martin noted that schools currently lack the staffing to fulfill his recommendations and placed the responsibility on the department to provide adequate funding.
The audit also highlighted significant achievement gaps. First Nations students performed worse on the English Language Proficiency Assessment than non First Nations students. English prime students consistently perform worse than French immersion students on English assessments. The department currently has no plan to address this gap.
Political Leaders Demand Change
The report sparked immediate reactions from provincial leaders. Green MLA Megan Mitton said the province needs to return to learning without screens and artificial intelligence in the classroom.
Interim PC Leader Glen Savoie found the results alarming. “We really just need to let teachers teach,” Savoie said. “We need to get back to the basics and make sure that our kids are getting the supports that they need so their literacy scores can improve.”
Education Minister Claire Johnson called the report helpful and shared her own concerns about the missed targets. Her department recently released new 12 year education plans for both sectors.
“One of the core values of our plan is a refocus on fundamental skills, which is literacy and numeracy with specific action plans,” Johnson said. She noted the department created these plans alongside superintendents and teachers to ensure everyone works toward the same goals.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did the auditor general report reveal about New Brunswick schools?
The report showed that schools in both the anglophone and francophone sectors missed all literacy assessment targets in recent years. In some cases, entire grades at specific schools failed their reading assessments.
Are struggling students getting extra help?
No. The audit found that over 50 percent of students who miss their literacy targets do not receive personalized learning plans or extra support.
How is the Department of Education fixing this problem?
The department agreed to the 12 recommendations in the report. Education Minister Claire Johnson also launched a new 12 year education plan focused heavily on fundamental literacy and numeracy skills.
I believe that one of the responses was to increase the PD days that teachers receive in order for them to be better prepared to increase accomplishment levels? I would suggest that this approach is kicking the can down the road and running away from the problem? Students need more in classroom time with teachers who by the way have at least 5 years post grade twelve and have a degree on how to teach these subjects, if there are any teachers who after receiving formal university level training and certification as teachers then maybe we need to raise the bar a lot higher. The findings of the report are clear we as ax payers and students as recipients are not getting what we paid for! Students < who are our future adults , are not able to fully embrace trades training if they are still struggling with literacy and numeracy issues. our graduation numbers may be up but the that is not how we measure success, competency is the successful outcome we expect not lust less drop outs ! For those who are dinosaurs we know we can confidently say our curriculum of 60 to 70 years ago would produce higher competency levels than are being reported now ?