Provincial Norms

The calculation of provincial norms for a given measure is based on the availability of data and whether this data meets established thresholds ensuring a sufficient sample size is available to produce a statistically sound norm.

We have made a strategic decision to consolidate the Interactive Chart middle school and high school norms into a single norm. This will improve data consolidation, streamline evaluation, and present clear and consistent expectations for administrators. Going forward, there will only be high school norms for national and provincial lines for norm comparison, however, when viewing your historical data, the middle and high school norms will still be available. For more information, see the Changes to Interactive Chart Norms article.

Existing Provincial Norms

Provincial norms were updated for Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and Saskatchewan. Due to measure selection across each province, some measures for which norms previously existed may no longer be available, while other measures may have been added. For a complete list of available measures by province, see below.

Norms for New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island could not be updated during this norming window.

New Provincial Norms (October 2023)

In October 2023, provincial norms were released for British Columbia and the Yukon. More details for each province are provided below.

We do not have sufficient data to calculate provincial norms for Nova Scotia at this time.

Accessing Provincial Norms

Provincial norms are accessed via your Interactive Charts and Trend Reports on www.ourschool.net, and are available at both elementary and secondary levels. They are accessible through the View Reports menu.

1. In your Interactive Charts, simply select the “Provincial” drop-down menu and choose a norm.
   
   

   
   
   

2. The norms will appear as an orange line in your chart.
   

   

Note: The orange line shows the provincial median for a given measure. The shaded orange area above and below the line represents the distribution of schools above and below the median. The area above represents how tightly the closest 25% of schools fall above the median, and the area below represents the 25% who fall below.

1. In your Trend Reports, for the aggregate Provincial norm, select the “Compare” drop-down menu and choose the provincial norm.

2. To access the drill-down Provincial norms, first click on the card of the measure you would like to view, then toggle on the norms by clicking the slider bar. 

Note: The Trend Report norms show the provincial average for a given measure. The drill-down norms represent the average score for a given subpopulation. These are only available for grade, sex, and grade-by-sex drill-downs.

Available Norms by Province

Alberta

British Columbia

Manitoba

Ontario

Quebec (Anglophone)

Saskatchewan

Yukon