County high school students continued their high level of success this year in the annual EQAO literacy test.
Three of the four high schools in Wellington had higher success rates than the provincial average in the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test, issued in March by the Education Quality and Accountability Office.
The test, which has been in place for seven years, measures how well students are meeting basic reading and writing standards at the end of grade nine, as set out in the Ontario curriculum.
This year 84% of the first-time eligible students who wrote the test were successful, maintaining the record levels of 2006 and 2007 and representing an increase of seven percentage points over the past five years.
Results from the Upper Grand District School Board were again higher than the provincial average this year.
Of the 2,610 UGDSB students who wrote the test, 86% were successful, maintaining the same level as the past four years. In the seven years the test has been administered, UGDSB’s success rate has risen 11% from 75% to 86%.
And in Wellington County specifically, the results were even better.
At Centre Wellington in Fergus, 301 students wrote the test, and 92% were successful (up 7% over 2007).
At Erin District High School in Erin, 128 students took part and 89% were successful (down 4% from last year).
At Norwell in Palmerston, 177 students wrote the test and 86% were successful (up 6%).
At Wellington Heights in Mount Forest, 145 students wrote the test and 79% were successful (down 8%).
Board targets
struggling students
In the academic program, 98% of UGDSB students were successful, while in the applied program 73% passed the test, as did 21% of those taking locally developed courses.
Those numbers exceed the provincial averages for all three levels of study this year – 95% for academic, 62% for applied, and 20% for locally developed.
“When we look at the improvements in the results for our students who study at the applied level and take locally-developed courses, we can see that focusing our efforts in these areas has made a difference,” said Bob Borden, chair of the UGDSB.
Students who are unsuccessful the first time are eligible to write the test again, and they may take the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course (OSSLC) to prepare. Of the students who re-wrote the test this March, 51% were successful.
Borden said as in previous years, the board continues to provide support for and target students who are having difficulty.
“Students need to be confident that they can write the test and pass,” he said.
“That’s where the identification of struggling students by the school-based literacy teams, test preparation activities, and other supports … come into play in helping students write the test successfully.”
Borden explained the board will continue to focus its efforts on the school population that studies at the applied level, takes locally developed courses, are English language learners or special education students, and those who are re-writing the test.
For more information on the EQAO test – including categorical results for specific schools, past results, and sample questions – visit the website at www.eqao.com.
