An official with the Upper Grand District School Board is concerned about a decline in Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) scores registered among Grade 3 and Grade 6 students.
“The downward trend in EQAO primary and junior literacy and mathematics results, especially in math, has the board asking many questions focused on how to improve math instruction and success for students,” a board media release stated.
“These results are disturbing, in spite of provincial trends,” board chairman Mark Bailey said in the release.
The results, released last week by the EQAO, found Upper Grand Grade 3 reading scores increased by one per cent to match the provincial average of 68%.
“Writing scores, although up one per cent over last year to 74%, are below the provincial average of 77%,” the board media release stated.
“In math, the province has decreased by a point to 67%, with Upper Grand primary students lagging at 64%, down from 2012 by three percentage points.”
There is a similar story in the Grade 6 results.
“Reading in junior classrooms is the same as last year at 76%, but misses the provincial mark by one percentage point. In writing, students are achieving at 79%, down from 71% in 2012, and six percentage points behind the provincial average of 76%. In math, junior students are at a 52% success rate, and the province is at 57%.
“Both the board and the province are down from last year – the board by two percentage points and the province by one percentage point.”
Added Bailey, “We are optimistic that by analyzing the individual student results we will find answers. We’ll also be asking tough questions, including why are we not seeing an increase that matches the work we have done in math over the past few years?”
The board will try to determine what more successful boards are doing differently and if their strategies will work in local schools.
Also under scrutiny will be how universities teach math to new teachers, and since the curriculum is designed to be taught through problem solving, what teachers may need from the board to use these techniques.
“There are a lot of questions we will be asking so we can improve math instruction, and how we assess and evaluate students in their math learning,” Bailey said.
“We’ve had good results in improving our reading and writing success due to our past focus on literacy.
“Now we need to know how to take the lessons we learned from this and apply them to mathematics. I’m optimistic that will happen.”
In Grade 3, Upper Grand students scored 68% in reading, 74% in writing and 64% in math, compared to provincial averages of 68%, 77% and 67% respectively.
Grade 6 board scores were 76% in reading, 70% in writing and 52% in math, while provincial averages were 77%, 76% and 57%.
Results for individual UGDSB schools are as follows:
– Aberfoyle Public School (PS), Grade 3: 77 in reading, 81 in writing and 50 in math; Grade 6: 90, 78 and 80 respectively;
– Alma PS, Grade 3: 65, 76, 53; Grade 6: 91, 83, 70;
– Arthur PS, Grade 3: 57, 62, 52; Grade 6: 74, 61, 53;
– Brisbane PS, Grade 3: 83, 88, 69; Grade 6: 89, 100, 66;
– Centre Peel PS, Grade 3: 38, 46, 31; Grade 6: 56, 50, 19;
– Drayton Heights PS, Grade 3: 67, 86, 86; Grade 6: 89, 72, 56;
– Elora PS, Grade 3: 79, 79, 64; Grade 6: 60, 46, 50;
– Eramosa PS, Grade 6 results only: 82, 82, 86;
– Erin PS, Grade 3: 76, no writing results, 71; Grade 6: 86, 75, 54;
– J. Douglas Hogarth PS, Grade 3: 70, 65, 70; Grade 6: 72, 62, 56;
– James McQueen PS, Grade 3: 54, 50, 41; Grade 6: no results;
– John Black PS, Grade 3: 62, 81, 50; Grade 6: 95, 91, 59;
– Kenilworth PS, no results;
– Maryborough PS, Grade 3: 62, 67, 43; Grade 6: 88, 88, 71;
– Minto Clifford Central PS, Grade 3: 62, 78, 57; Grade 6: 70, 62, 50;
– Palmerston PS, Grade 3: 31, 31, 29; Grade 6: 72, 56, 40;
– Ponsonby PS, Grade 3: 75, 85, 95; Grade 6: 74, 78, 35;
– Rockwood Centennial PS, Grade 3: 54, 74, 53; Grade 6: 75, 64, 45;
– Ross R. MacKay PS, Grade 3: 44, 38, 31; Grade 6: no results;
– Salem PS, Grade 3: 74, 65, 74; Grade 6: 91, 61, 39;
– Victoria Cross PS, Grade 3: 54, 72, 67; Grade 6: 64, 64, 47; and
– Victoria Terrace PS, Grade 3: 50, 46, 39; Grade 6: 83, 70, 48.
For additional information visit http://www.eqao.com.
