September 22nd, 2016

Standardized test results show room to improve

September 21st, 2016

Today, the Education, Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) released school board results for Grades 3 and 6 assessments in reading, writing and mathematics and assessments for Grade 9 mathematics as well as the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test.

The Waterloo Region District School Board’s results show a small increase in reading in Grade 3 and both reading and writing at the Grade 6 level. In accordance with the province-wide trend, results in the area of mathematics declined.

“These results tell us we need to do better. Our community is rightly asking some tough questions of this board, and we are asking ourselves those same questions,” said John Bryant, director of education. “This year we will implement our new strategic plan consisting of three priorities, each with outcomes to guide our work.

As part of a new strategic plan, WRDSB has established organizational goals for the current school year, with a focus on graduation rates, the well-being of staff and students, and an emphasis on mathematics. Work is ongoing with staff to establish evidence-informed strategies and aggressive targets in all of these areas.

“Our new strategic plan will help provide a framework for setting goals and establishing accountability,” states Board Chairperson Kathleen Woodcock. “The board of trustees is committed to supporting staff with consistent implementation and monitoring of strategies across our system to ensure that each and every one of our students achieves success.”

“Improving outcomes for our students will take more than simply developing targets to reach the desired outcomes,” said Bryant. “The entire Waterloo Region District School Board community needs to use this data to inform our decision-making and collectively focus on the consistent implementation of proven strategies for improved student learning.”

Breakdown of results:

Grade 3: Results for reading increased by one percentage point from 2014, with writing decreasing by five percentage points and mathematics decreasing by six percentage points.

Grade 6: Results for writing increased by two percentage points and one percentage point in reading from 2014. Mathematics had a decrease of three percentage points.

Grade 9: There was no change in academic mathematics, with 81 percent of students achieving at levels 3 and 4. Applied mathematics results fell one percentage point from last year with 39% of students achieving at levels 3 and 4.

OSSLT: Grade 10 students continue to meet the provincial standard for the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test, with 81% of students successfully completing the OSSLT.

Other Information:

We continue to see our results increase in the areas of reading and writing for specified groups in Grades 3 and 6. Specified groups include boys, students with special education needs and English language learners.
A renewed focus on the importance of EQAO data to develop strategies will help to improve student learning in mathematics, as well as increase our graduation rates as we strive for each student to experience success.
There were no EQAO assessments for Grades 3 and 6 in 2015.
See attached graphs for more information,