Wellington County students generally continued to keep pace against their counterparts around the province in the latest round of testing by the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO).
The preliminary analysis of the results for Grade 3 and 6 students in the annual EQAO assessments of reading, writing and math show Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB) Grade 3 students improved by three per cent in reading and matched last year’s writing and math results, while at the Grade 6 level students improved in both reading and writing and held their own in math.
“We know our literacy strategies are working,” UGDSB chairman Bob Borden said in a press release.
“We will continue our thoughtful, balanced and focused plan to see additional gains in this area. By identifying the best instructional practices, we can prompt more student achievement.”
The UGDSB states there has been positive movement in closing the gap between the board and the provincial results. In Grade 3, reading scores are one per cent higher than the province, while writing and math scores have not dropped and are respectively just three per cent and one per cent below the province.
In Grade 6 there are similar results, with one per cent higher reading scores, and gaps of three per cent in writing and four per cent in math compared with provincial averages.
Results show that 63 per cent of Upper Grand Grade 3 students met or exceeded the provincial standard in reading, 74 per cent in writing and 63 per cent in math.
Among Upper Grand Grade 6 students, 72 per cent reached provincial targets in reading and writing and 48 per cent in math.
Among Wellington Catholic District School Board Grade 3 students, 68 per cent reached at least the provincial standard in reading, 82 per cent in writing and 68 per cent in math. That compares to 2010 numbers of 63, 71 and 75 per cent in the same subjects.
Among Grade 6 Catholic board students, 71 per cent reached the provincial standard in reading, 70 per cent in writing and 63 per cent in math. Last year, the figures were 75, 77 and 64 per cent.
Upper Grand students in both the academic and applied Grade 9 math programs continue to achieve above the provincial averages in the 2012 EQAO assessments. Students in the academic stream reached the provincial standard at an 87 per cent rate, and applied students 53 per cent, compared with 84 per cent and 44 per cent provincially. Gains made by Upper Grand’s applied students rose one percentage point over last year, and two percentage points for those enrolled in the academic stream.
Girls and boys in the applied courses scored the same, with special needs students, (excluding gifted) showing a 42 per cent success rate. In the academic program, girls lag behind boys (girls 86 per cent and boys 88 per cent) but only by two per cent and students with special needs achieved 80 per cent.
“The results show that we’re consistently improving our instruction in Grade 9 math,” said Borden.
“The strategies our teachers are using and the thoughtful analysis they put into the results are having the desired effect in improving our instructional practice”.
Among Wellington Catholic board Grade 9 students, 87 per cent of academic stream student achieved or exceeded the provincial standard, while 44 per cent of applied students made the grade. All of the Catholic board’s secondary schools are located in Guelph.
“Data will be further analyzed at the district and school level in collaboration with staff and Catholic School Councils. School improvement plans will be developed to address identified areas for student growth and achievement,” states a press release from the WCDSB.
Results for each high school in the county were:
– Centre Wellington, 44 per cent in the applied program and 82 per cent in the academic program;
– Erin District High School, 33 per cent and 65 per cent respectively;
– Norwell District Secondary School, 47 per cent and 89 per cent; and
– Wellington Heights Secondary School in Mount Forest, 35 per cent and 91 per cent.
Last year’s figures for those schools were:
– Centre Wellington, 37 per cent in the applied program and 83 per cent in the academic program;
– Erin District High School, 40 per cent and 78 per cent respectively;
– Norwell District Secondary School, 40 per cent and 81 per cent and
– Wellington Heights Secondary School in Mount Forest, 48 per cent 76 per cent.
