Cowichan Valley students see double-digit literacy gains

Students in the Cowichan Valley School District have achieved significant improvements in literacy rates. Data shows that Grade 4 literacy rates increased by 12.6 per cent, while Grade 7 rates rose by 10.5 per cent over the past year.

The Board of Education attributes these gains to refined teaching and assessment practices developed by a dedicated literacy team. This team includes literacy support teachers, classroom teachers, education assistants, and school-based administrators who have spent several years analyzing student data to identify effective tools and methods.

Acting Superintendent Darlene Reynolds and Board Chair Cathy Schmidt noted that the results reflect the commitment of educators to continuously improve their practices to benefit students. In British Columbia, literacy is defined as a student’s ability to understand, critically analyze, and create various forms of communication, including oral, written, visual, digital, and multimedia formats.