Important dates

Provincial satisfaction surveys usually begin in January and finish by the end of March.

Purpose

Provincial satisfaction surveys are conducted each year to make sure the education system continues to meet the needs of people in Alberta.

These surveys help us understand what is working well, where improvement is required and how it can improve.

The main objectives of these surveys are to determine how well the education system:

  • meets the needs of students
  • supports our society and the economy
  • works with education partners
  • supports leadership development and continuous improvement
  • prepares students for lifelong learning, employment and active citizenship

Surveys also seek to understand satisfaction with:

  • the knowledge, skills and abilities of recent high school graduates
  • the quality of facilities and equipment in the education system
  • safe and caring school environments

Performance measures

These surveys are part of our performance measurement system. This system includes:

  • provincial achievement test results
  • diploma exam results
  • student outcome data
  • provincial satisfaction survey results

Some survey results are used in specific business plan performance measures and will be reported in the ministry’s annual report.

The annual report communicates the ministry's progress towards achieving the outcomes and targets presented in its business plan.

Performance data is published in the annual report, annual report update and the satisfaction survey results reports.

The survey summary report is based on department business plan survey measures at the question or item level.

Process

Government employs an external consultant to administer the provincial satisfaction surveys. This is done through a Request for Service (RFS) process and ensures that the results are:

  • reliable
  • valid
  • authentic
  • unbiased

To conduct the surveys, Alberta Education gives the external contractor random samples of contact information for:

  • students
  • parents of students
  • teachers
  • principals
  • superintendents
  • school board trustees

For the public surveys, the external contractor obtains a list of randomly selected phone numbers for the province.

For the business and industry survey, the contractor obtains a list of businesses and industries located throughout the province, representative of industry type and business size.

The contractor is bound to manage all personal information in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and ensure the security and confidentiality of all information, either provided to them or collected by them.

Results are summed together and reported at the aggregate level. Individual results are not reported.

All responses in the surveys are managed in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

The total number of completed surveys is over 6,000 to make sure that survey results for each of the respondent groups are statistically representative.

Participants

Surveys are conducted with the following groups:

  • senior high school students
  • self-identified First Nations, Métis and Inuit senior high school students
  • parents of students in K to 12
  • parents of self-identified First Nations, Métis and Inuit students in K to 12
  • parents of students with severe disabilities
  • teachers
  • principals
  • superintendents
  • school board trustees
  • business and industry employers of recent high school graduates (surveyed up to 2016)
  • members of the general public

Participation in the survey is voluntary. Participants are free to refuse to answer any questions at any time during the interview. Note, the principal survey, superintendent survey, and business and industry survey were not administered in 2020.

Survey questionnaires

Each participant group answers a separate version of the survey. Look at examples of satisfaction survey questionnaires:

  • Alberta Education Teacher Survey Instrument – 2020
  • Alberta Education High School Student Survey Instrument – 2020
  • Alberta Education High School Student Survey Instrument (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) – 2020
  • Alberta Education Parent Survey Instrument – 2020
  • Alberta Education Parent Survey Instrument (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) – 2020
  • Alberta Education Parent Survey Instrument (Students with Severe Disabilities) – 2020
  • Alberta Education School Board Survey Instrument – 2020
  • Alberta Education Public Survey Instrument – 2020
  • Alberta Education Principal Survey Instrument – 2019
  • Alberta Education Superintendent Survey Instrument – 2019
  • Alberta Education Business and Industry Survey Instrument – 2016

Reports and results

The survey summary report provides results at the question or item level for the survey based performance measures found in the Alberta Education’s annual report.

It also provides survey results on a broad range of topics of interest to the department, including a detailed section on First Nations, Métis and Inuit survey results.

Business and industry survey results

This survey was conducted until 2016, and assessed employers' satisfaction with recent Alberta high school graduates regarding the graduates’:

  • academic skills and competencies
  • technical skills
  • non-subject specific skills, attitude and abilities

The survey also assessed employers' satisfaction with the overall responsiveness of Alberta’s education system to their human resource needs.

The business and industry reports are as follows:

Review Committee on Outcomes

The Review Committee on Outcomes (RCO) Indicators report provides results on 34 survey indicators that address 28 education outcomes established by the RCO. The committee used input from education partner representatives and the public to determine what outcomes the learning system should strive to achieve.

The indicators are grouped into 6 categories:

  • student learning
  • opportunity to learn
  • involvement/engagement
  • teaching and profession of teaching
  • leadership and governance
  • facilities

Survey results of the following 7 respondent groups are used in the RCO indicators report:

  • senior high school students
  • parents of K to 12 students
  • teachers
  • principals
  • school board trustees
  • superintendents
  • the general public

RCO indicators reports

Contact

Connect with Corporate Planning:

Hours: 8:15 am to 4:30 pm (open Monday to Friday, closed statutory holidays)
Phone: 780-422-1963
Toll free: 310-0000 before the phone number (in Alberta)
Email: [email protected]