WELLINGTON COUNTY – Students at the Upper Grand and Wellington Catholic district school boards performed better, on average, than their provincial peers on tests from the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO).
The standardized testing focuses on math and literacy skills for students in Grades 3, 6 and 9.
School boards use the results to guide the allocation of resources.
The results are presented as the percentage of students reaching or surpassing provincial standards, which means scoring a level 3 or 4.
In both local school boards, more Grade 3 students achieved levels 3 and 4 in math last school year than the previous year.
Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB)
At the UGDSB, students also performed higher than the previous year in Grade 3 reading and writing, Grade 6 math and Grade 9 math.
The most significant improvements in the UGDSB were in Grade 3 math (from 57 per cent to 64%) and Grade 9 math (52 to 58%).
Grade 9 literacy is the only category in which the UGDSB score was lower than the previous year (from 88 to 87%). Provincial averages in this category were 85% both years.
According to UGDSB officials, “the gains made … highlight the positive impact of the Upper Grand’s laser focused efforts coupled with the strategic resource allocations, including early reading teachers, intensive staff training, math support teachers and learning support teachers.”
UGDSB director of education Peter Sovran called the results “a testament to the dedication and focus of our incredible staff, who have worked tirelessly to ensure every student succeeds.”
Sovran expressed appreciation to the board’s trustees “for their unwavering trust in our team and for their strategic investments, which have directly contributed to these improved outcomes.”
Board chair Ralf Mesenbrink said these investments “reflect our strong commitment to enhancing the academic growth and well-being of every student.”
Wellington Catholic District School Board (WCDSB)
At the WCDSB, results were lower than the previous year in Grade 3 reading and writing; Grade 6 math, reading and writing; and Grade 9 literacy.
The most significant WCDSB drops were in Grade 6 math (58 to 54%) and Grade 6 writing (from 89 to 84%).
WCDSB Grade 3 math results rose from 63 to 68%, and Grade 9 math results rose from 55 to 56%.
WCDSB education superintendent Betty Farrell said the board’s recent math achievement action plan included professional development “on math content knowledge and using high impact instructional practices in mathematics.
“Increasing educator math content knowledge and instructional practice has had a positive effect on our students’ understanding of foundational math concepts and skills,” she said.
WCDSB director of education Mike Glazier said “We are pleased that our students are continuing to do well on the provincial tests, exceeding the provincial averages in most areas, and we are focusing efforts to continue to improve outcomes for student learning in future assessments.
“We thank our teachers, principals, and education support staff for their great work in supporting student achievement.”
Perfect scores
Four schools in Wellington County saw 100% of participating students meeting or succeeding provincial averages in certain categories:
- St. Mary Catholic School in Mount Forest: Grade 6 writing;
- Maryborough Public School in Moorefield: Grade 6 writing;
- Alma Public School: Grade 3 reading;
- St. Joseph Catholic School in Fergus: Grade 6 reading and writing; and
- at Erin District High School, 99% of Grade 9 students met or exceeded provincial literacy standards.
EQAO
The EQAO is a Crown agency of the provincial government that develops tests to evaluate the quality and effectiveness of schools. It makes recommendations based on these evaluations.
For more information visit eqao.com/results.
