The latest Alberta Achievement Test results are showing low grades, especially outside of Yellowknife, Hay River, Fort Smith and Inuvik.

SA国际影视传媒淭he results aren't what you hope for them to be,SA国际影视传媒� said John Stewart, director of teaching and learning for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment.

The Alberta Achievement Tests, in Math and English Language Arts, are given to students in Grade 6 and in Grade 9.

The 2016-17 results, compiled this spring, show the communities lagging behind the capital and the regional centres. Of total enrolment in the communities, only 27.1 and 17.7 per cent achieved acceptable results on their ELA tests in Grade 6 and 9, respectively.

In math, only 20.7 and 8 per cent of students in the communities achieved acceptable results in their tests in Grade 6 and 9, respectively.

These numbers get a bit better when you donSA国际影视传媒檛 include people who were absent or only wrote part of the test in the results.

Stewart said one of many factors behind these results, the department believes, is attendance. The average in the communities in 76.8 per cent, and 81.5 in the regional centres. A reasonable target, he said, would be 95 per cent.

SA国际影视传媒淓ighty per cent sounds pretty good when you talk about attendance, until you scale that out,SA国际影视传媒� he said. SA国际影视传媒淥ver grades 1 to 10, they've missed two years if they're attending 80 per cent of the time.SA国际影视传媒�

He describes attendance as a symptom rather than a cause. If students arenSA国际影视传媒檛 in school, they might not have transportation to school; they might have family disruption issues; they might be worried about bullies; they might not have available to them courses in which they are interested.

When students are at school, they might not be arriving on a full stomach.

SA国际影视传媒淲e're expecting a lot if we expect them to focus on their math lesson when their stomach's grumbling,SA国际影视传媒� said Stewart.

In light of these identified factors, Stewart said the GNWT has been implementing a healthy food in schools program, to give kids food if theySA国际影视传媒檙e hungry. The GNWT has also, over the last year, began the introduction of counselling services to schools throughout the territory, which will eventually encompass all schools.

The Northern Distance Learning program, which brings high level academic courses to small communities, is going to be scaled out to all small communities and it has already shown success.

SA国际影视传媒淚n Ulukhaktok ... literally for the first time, theySA国际影视传媒檝e got graduates who are heading off straight to post-secondary SA国际影视传媒� not to a bunch of upgrading, but straight to post-secondary,SA国际影视传媒� said Stewart, of the communitySA国际影视传媒檚 historic three high school graduates this year.

SA国际影视传媒淭hatSA国际影视传媒檚 a big deal.SA国际影视传媒�

He said the department is also working on bringing in cultural, health and wellness aspects into the curriculum, and itSA国际影视传媒檚 designing a math curriculum to fill in studentsSA国际影视传媒� gaps as they enter high school.

Jacqueline McKinnon, communications manager for the department, said a lot is changing in the education world.

SA国际影视传媒淚'd say probably in the last 10 years that there's been a big push and there's a dawning realization that kids learn differently now,SA国际影视传媒� she said.

SA国际影视传媒淭hey like to be more involved in their learning and they can't just sit in a chair and listen and watch and take notes.SA国际影视传媒�

FACT FILE: 2016-17 average attendance, K-12 (in per cent)

• Communities: 76.8
• Regional centres: 81.5
• Yellowknife: 89
• NWT: 82.9

Source: Department of Education, Culture and Employment