Provincial Education Plan

There are four priority actions in the plan.

Learning and Assessment

Improve student outcomes through effective assessment practices that guide and strengthen responsive instruction.

• A provincial assessment program will focus on improving student results.
• The program will include assessments at pivotal points to better support each student’s learning.
• It will build on and support the valuable work of teachers by providing precise and timely information to guide instruction.

Indigenous Education

Actualize the vision and goals of Inspiring Success: Prek-12 First Nations and Metis Education Policy Framework.

• Achieving the Inspiring Success vision and goals will support the achievement of success for Indigenous students and an equitable and inclusive system that benefits all learners.
• This work will promote local action, develop measures to track progress and ensure effective practices are implemented and shared.
• Working toward an inclusive workforce strategy and continued efforts to include Indigenous voices in all areas of education will be important to this work.

Mental Health and Well-Being

Enrich and enhance mental health and well-being capacity in students.

• Saskatchewan students will be supported to experience a positive sense of belonging and connection while feeling safe in their schools.
• This work will create common language so that students, parents, teachers and administrators can speak openly and clearly about mental health and well-being.
• School systems will work to share effective practices and develop a planning tool to make a difference at the local level for the benefit of more students.

Student Transitions

Foster connections for learners and their families while supporting learners as they enter and progress through school to graduation and determine a life pathway.

• Engaging families and caregivers from school entry throughout a child’s education will be an important focus of this action.
• Actions in this priority will support student attendance and engagement, particularly during key transition points.
• Through the work of this action, every student will have a plan for graduation that will prepare them for their career and life pathways.

These actions will be assessed and updated over the course of the plan as work progresses and as priorities continue to be responsive to the educational experiences and outcomes of Saskatchewan learners.

The following are provincial-level targets. Progress toward these targets will measure the impact of the plan over time. For each of these targets, the aim will be to achieve equity in outcomes for Indigenous and non-Indigenous students and to see improvement for all students.

Over the life of the plan:

Student attendance will improve annually.

• When students attend school regularly, they are more engaged in learning and have greater opportunities to learn and succeed. There is a very strong relationship between good attendance and good educational outcomes.
• When schools provide inviting, interesting and supportive learning environments, students are more likely to attend and engage in learning.
• For the 2022-23 school year, the average attendance rate for students across the province was 85.6 per cent. The percentage of students who attended at least 80 per cent of the time was 76 per cent.
• For the 2023-24 school year, the average student attendance rate for students across the province was 86 per cent. The percentage of students who attended at least 80 per cent of the time was 77.5 per cent.

Overall graduation rates will increase annually with a focus on improved outcomes for Indigenous students.

• Students who complete Grade 12 have more opportunities for education and work, and experience better health and well-being.
• More students graduating contributes to a stronger Saskatchewan through an educated and engaged population and to economic growth through the availability of skilled and knowledgeable entrepreneurs and employees.
• For the 2022-23 school year, the overall three-year graduation rate was 79 per cent with 47.9 per cent of Indigenous students graduating within the three-year window. The overall five-year graduation rate was 85.9 per cent with 61.9 per cent of Indigenous students graduating within that timeframe.
• For the 2023-24 school year, the overall three-year graduation rate was 77.6 per cent with 47.4 per cent of Indigenous students graduating within the three-year window. The overall five-year graduation rate was 83.4 per cent with 56.8 per cent of Indigenous students graduating within that timeframe.

Upon Kindergarten exit, the percentage of students ready for learning in the primary grades will increase year over year.

• Student readiness for learning by the end of Kindergarten sets the foundation for future learning and success in school.
• For the 2022-23 school year, 79.1 per cent of students were ready for learning in the primary grades after they are finished Kindergarten.
• For the 2023-24 school year, 78.2 per cent of students were ready for learning in the primary grade after they are finished Kindergarten.

Student literacy and numeracy outcomes will increase year over year.

• Reading is a foundation for learning. Grade 3 reading levels are a strong indicator of future student performance. A high proportion of students reading at grade level in Grade 3 means that more students are ready to learn in Grade 4 and beyond.
• For the 2022-23 school year, 70 per cent of Grade 3 students were assessed as reading at or above grade level, which is a 1.7 percentage point improvement over the previous year.
• For the 2023-24 school year, 67.3 per cent of Grade 3 students were assessed as reading at or above grade level, which is a 2.7 percentage point decrease over the previous year.

All students will have an increased sense of connection and safety in schools.

• When students feel connected to and safe in school, they will be more engaged in learning.
• In 2022-23, 59 per cent of students in Grades 4 to 6 reported feeling safe at school. For Grades 7 to 12 students, the percentage was 55 per cent.
• In 2022-23, 68 per cent of students in Grades 4 to 6 reported a positive sense of belonging. For Grades 7 to 12 students, the percentage was 58 per cent.
• In 2023-24, 55 per cent of students in Grades 4 to 6 reported feeling safe at school. For Grades 7 to 12 students, the percentage was 56 per cent.
• In 2023-24, 65 per cent of students in Grades 4 to 6 reported a positive sense of belonging. For Grades 7 to 12 students, the percentage was 57 per cent.

Progress toward the Provincial Education Plan (PEP) provincial-level targets will measure the impact of the plan over time at the provincial level. In addition to provincial-level targets, each priority action team has developed measures specific to their plans to track progress on implementation of their priorities. Provincial-level targets will be revisited regularly to ensure continuous improvement.

Ministry Annual Report

Progress on provincial-level actions and deliverables in the priority action plans will be reported through the Ministry of Education Annual Report.

Board of Education Annual Reports

Progress towards provincial-level and locally determined targets will be reported through board of education annual reports. Each board of education is encouraged to set local targets and monitor progress through local measures aligned with the PEP. As well, boards of education and school division administrators may develop processes for reporting on progress at the division and school levels.