HALIFAX — Nova Scotia’s Education Department spends hundreds of thousands of dollars every year on student assessments, but it’s not using the results to improve their lacklustre performance in writing and math, the province’s auditor general says. In an audit report released Tuesday, Kim Adair says the province’s students are consistently underperforming in writing in the early grades and their performance in math typically declines from the elementary level to junior high school. As well, her report says Nova Scotia students consistently perform below the national average in reading and math. Adair said the Education Department spent $700,000 in 2024-25 to administer and mark 75,000 assessments completed by students in grades 3, 6 and 8. The department spent several months analyzing the results. But the data were not used to inform the department’s decisions, Adair said. “Given the significant public resources and time invested every year, it’s important the department applies this information to make decisions and make changes,” Adair told a news conference Tuesday. The auditor general is recommending the department review the results from all assessments to set targets for student performance and then determine if the targets are being met. “The gist of our 11 recommendations is to link the assessment results to the decision making … so that it ends up in improving these results.” Adair says the department has agreed to implement all of the report’s recommendations. Claudia Chender, leader of the provincial New Democratic Party, says most of the recommendations reflect what most parents would assume is already happening. “This is the latest example of a system that the government’s been pouring money into that has not led to the results we would want to see,” the Opposition leader told reporters after Adair’s news conference. The province spent $2.6 billion on public education in 2025-26, an increase of 44 per cent from 2020-21, according to the report. Student enrolment increased by 10 per cent during that same period. The Education Department’s senior executive director, Chris Boulter, said schools, regional education authorities and the French school authority use the assessment results as part of their student improvement plans. But he acknowledged the department needs to do more to help students improve. “We know we need to do a better job … and be more transparent,” he said. Last year, the department implemented a universal screening program for students in Grade primary to Grade 2 to assess their literacy skills, identify students who are struggling and provide support for those who need it, he said. Meanwhile, the poor performance of Nova Scotia students in math is consistent with a national trend. A recent report from the Council of Ministers of Education Canada said Canadian students scored lower in math in a 2025 international student assessment when compared with previous assessments during the last 10 years. By Tori Fitzpatrick This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 29, 2026.
