Students achieve above provincial averages in EQAO results

The Ontario government is appointing an advisory body to review the province’s approach to student assessment in response to the Ontario’s Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) results, which show “insufficient progress” for students in Grades 3, 6 and 9. But York Region District School Board (YRDSB) students achieved above provincial averages in the recently released results.

“As a Board of Trustees, we take great pride in the ongoing success of our students and their performance with provincial testing,” says YRDSB Chair Ron Lynn. “Our Multi-Year Strategic Plan continues to focus efforts on student achievement and provides support to students and staff so our students can continue to achieve beyond the provincial standards.”

For YRDSB students in Grade 3, 77 per cent achieved the provincial standard (Levels 3 and 4) in reading, 70 per cent in writing and 72 per cent in mathematics. That compares with provincial averages of 74 per cent, 65 per cent and 64 per cent respectively.

Ninety-one per cent of YRDSB Grade 6 students achieved the provincial standard in reading, while 90 per cent achieved the standard in writing and 65 per cent achieved the standard in mathematics. That compares with provincial averages of 86 per cent, 85 per cent and 51 per cent respectively.

Meanwhile, 9,311 Fully Participating YRDSB students wrote the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) for the first time with a 92 per cent success rate, compared with an average success rate of 85 per cent among all school districts across Ontario.

The Grade 9 mathematics assessment saw 74 per cent of YRDSB secondary students achieve the provincial standard. That compares with a provincial average of 58 per cent of all students in the province who achieved the standard.

“This important data will continue to support the work of our District Action Plan for Student Achievement, Well-being and Inclusion, which focuses on improving learning outcomes for all students,” says YRDSB Director of Education Bill Cober. “Our staff will review their school-specific data over the coming months to help inform their School Improvement Plans, with the overarching goal of supporting all learners to achieve their highest potential.”