Second language education and literacy

In Canada, public French and English as a Second Language education is a prerogative of the provinces and therefore varies in important ways. The programs fall mainly into two categories: French as a Second Language Immersion Programs, and regular Second Language Programs (ESES Definitions, 2016; Brockington, 2011: 51; Statistics Canada, 2013: 60-61).

In the French as a Second Language Immersion Program at least 25% of the instruction occurs in student's second language (Brockinton, 2011: 51). On the other hand, in regular Second Language Programs the second official language is taught as a subject among other regular course offerings. One or more additional subjects can also be taught in the student’s second official language but second language instruction must total less than 25% of all instruction time (Brockinton, 2011: 51). 

It is also worth noting that other official language programs exist such as the Aboriginal Second Language Program (i.e. Core Aboriginal) as well as the Aboriginal Immersion programs. In the former, the Aboriginal language is taught as a subject and may not exceed 25% of all instruction time. While the latter entails instruction of the Aboriginal language for Aboriginal students 100% of the time (ESES Definitions, 2016).

Data on reading and writing skills comes from more than a dozen different surveys dealing with Literacy, Numeracy, and other educational outcomes. However, among these, two primary sources stand out: The Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) for adults 16-65 and the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) for 15-year old students. 

The first is a multi-cycle international survey that targets Canadian adults aged 16-65 (excluding residents of aboriginal reserves, institutionalized persons, and members of the Armed Forces). In 2012, it sampled approximately 49,000 individuals in Canada for their education, training, labour, and literacy profile.

The second survey targets students who are 15 years of age and attend any form of schooling in the ten provinces of Canada. It tests for reading, mathematics, science, and problem-solving. Because the survey is conducted according to a three-year rotational cycle, users looking for literacy-specific information should refer to the 2000 and 2009 cycles. We reproduce below the PISA literacy theoretical framework  (Knighton, Brochu, Gluszynski, 2010: 14)

PISA Reading Theoretical Framework

One of the main surveys used for capturing information on education programs is the Elementary-Secondary Education Survey (ESES). Data tables for this survey can be divided into tables on educators, enrolments, and graduates. In terms of educators, we provide the total number of full-time and part-time educators at elementary and secondary levels. We also provide three tables for enrolments. Tables 2, 3, and 4 deal with regular, aboriginal, and second language programs respectively while table 5 provides graduation counts.

1. Number of full-time and part-time educators in public elementary and secondary schools by age and sex for Canada, Provinces and Territories. (Cat. CANSIM 477-0028)

2. Number of students in regular programs for youth, public elementary and secondary schools, by grade and sex for Canada, Provinces and Territories. (Cat. CANSIM 477-0025)

3. Headcount enrolments in public school Aboriginal language programs for Canada, Provinces and Territories (Cat. CANSIM 477-0039)

4. Enrollments in official languages programs offered in public elementary and secondary schools, by type of program, grade, and sex for Canada, Provinces and Territories (Cat. CANSIM 477-0027)

5. Number of graduates from regular programs for youth, public schools, by age group and sex for Canada, Provinces and Territories. (Cat. CANSIM 477-0026)

For a simple population count according to literacy or numeracy scores please consult the first table. For relations with 1) Aboriginal, Immigrant, or Minority language status, 2) industry, 3) labour force status and highest level of education see the subsequent tables.

1. Literacy and Numeracy by Sex and Age for Canada, Provinces and Territories (Cat. CANSIM 477-0079)

2. Literacy and Numeracy by Aboriginal, Immigrant, Minority Language Status, and Sex for selected provinces and territories. (Cat. CANSIM 477-0087)

3. Literacy and Numeracy by Industry and Sex for Canada, Provinces and Territories (Cat. CANSIM 477-0083)

4. Literacy and Numeracy by Labour Force Status, Highest Level of Education, and Age for Canada, Provinces and Territories (Cat. CANSIM 477-0081)

Data for the 2009 PISA survey can be found in Volume I of the project and include 42 tables on Canadian’s reading proficiency compared internationally. For microdata access to data tables, see the The Research Data Centres (RDC) Program. Below we include six tables that compare Canada to other countries world-wide across different aspects of the reading skill, as assessed by the project. 

Overall Score - International

PISA Reading Proficiency Scale (pdf, 228.35 KB)

Subcomponents - International

Accessing and Retrieving (pdf, 229.72 KB)

Integrating and Interpreting (pdf, 229.71 KB) 

Reflect and Evaluate (pdf, 229.73 KB)

Continuous Texts  (pdf, 230.91 KB)

Non-Continous Texts.pdf (pdf, 230.91 KB)

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26. OECD (2010) PISA 2009 results: What students know and Can Do – Student Performance in Reading, Mathematics and Science (Volume I).
27. Osberg, L. (2000) Schooling, Literacy and Individual Earnings(pdf, 515 KB). International Adult Literacy Survey.
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31. Taylor, A. and Krahn, H. (2005) Aiming high: Educational aspirations of visible minority immigrant youth(pdf, 178 KB)
32. Tremblay, S., Ross, N., and Berthelot, J-M. (2002) Ontario Grade 3 student achievement.(pdf, 104 KB) Canadian Social Trends.
33. Turcotte, M. (2011) Intergenerational education mobility: University completion in relation to parents’ education level.(pdf, 113 KB)Canadian Social Trends. (Cat. 11-008-X)
34. Wagner, S. (2002) Literacy and Literacy Training of Francophones in Canada: Results of the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS)(pdf, 0.99 MB). International Adult Literacy Survey.
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36. Zeman, K. (2007) If you build it they will come: The impact of new universities on local youth. Education Matters: Insights on Education, Learning and Training in Canada.