EQAO results: Rainbow Schools record impressive gains

Strategies implemented in Rainbow Schools to improve reading, writing and math are having a positive impact on student achievement. Assessments administered by the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) in the 2009-2010 school year continue to show gains over time, with significant year over year increases.

Grade 3 reading results increased by 5 percentage points, Grade 3 writing by 8 percentage points and Grade 3 math by 3 percentage points. Grade 6 reading increased by 1 percentage point and Grade 6 writing by 4 percentage points. The Primary and Junior literacy results are the highest scores ever for Rainbow District School Board. Grade 9 applied math increased by 3 percentage points and Grade 9 academic math increased by 1 percentage point. Both Grade 9 math results are the highest scores ever for Rainbow District School Board.

“These results are a tribute to classroom teachers and instructional leaders in Rainbow Schools who continue to make reading, writing and math a priority,” said Rainbow District School Board Director of Education Norm Blaseg. “We thank our educators for their ongoing efforts and commend parents/guardians and our broader school communities for supporting student success. Most importantly, we congratulate our students for their outstanding achievement and look forward to building on this good work.”

In the elementary panel, an increase of 12 percentage points of Grade 3 students achieved at or above the provincial standard in reading and an increase of 24 percentage points of Grade 3 students achieved at or above the provincial standard in writing since 2002. Over the same time period, there has been an increase of 13 percentage points of Grade 3 students achieving at or above the provincial standard in math. Gains have also been made in Grade 6 reading, writing and math over time, with an increase of students achieving at or above the provincial standard of 12 percentage points in reading, 19 per percentage points in writing and 1 percentage point in math, since 2002.

Once again, the secondary panel recorded impressive gains over time. Over the past 10 years, an increase of 18 percentage points of students achieved at or above the provincial standard in Grade 9 math at the academic level. An increase of 19 percentage points of students achieved at or above the provincial standard in Grade 9 math at the applied level.

Learning Cycles, Demonstration Teachers and Framework Schools are three of a number of strategies having a positive impact on student success. In Learning Cycles, teachers work in teams to focus on the needs of their students.  Special attention is placed on assessment for learning and differentiated instruction strategies.

Demonstration Teachers enable teachers to learn from each other, one of the most effective ways of influencing student learning.  Teachers visit junior and intermediate demonstration classrooms to observe literacy, assessment for learning and differentiated instruction strategies.  Visiting teachers spend time planning strategies for their own classes with the demonstration teachers.

Framework Schools, meanwhile, receive additional support for literacy and numeracy instruction. During the 2009-2010 school year, teachers at ten elementary schools and three secondary schools received release time to work with a Consultant or Co-ordinator. A team of principals, superintendents and federation representatives visited these schools in the fall and spring to provide ongoing feedback and support.

EQAO results are an important tool for assisting schools and boards in identifying areas for continuous improvement. They provide a measure of how well students understand the expectations outlined in The Ontario Curriculum. Student assessment is most effective when data is interpreted in context, examined over time to determine trends in performance, and used to inform professional dialogue and school improvement planning.

“Assessment results are used to enhance student learning,” said Director Blaseg. “The data helps us determine areas of focus in literacy and numeracy for school and board improvement planning by answering two important questions: How are we doing? and What can we do next to improve student learning?”

Grade 3 and Grade 6 Reading, Writing and Mathematics tests were written in early June 2010.  There were 903 students in Grade 3 in Rainbow Schools. There were 914 students in Grade 6 in Rainbow Schools. Very few students were exempt from the assessments.

The Grade 9 Mathematics test was administered in January and June 2010. A total of 1245 students participated in the assessment, including 765 students in academic math and 480 students in applied math.

The Ministry of Education has set level 3 as the provincial standard.  Students in Level 4 have demonstrated a very high to outstanding level of achievement (80% to 100%). Achievement is above the provincial standard.  Students in Level 3 have demonstrated a high level of achievement (70% to 79%).

Copies of EQAO results are available at www.eqao.com.
 
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PRIMARY DIVISION (GRADES 1 TO 3) READING, WRITING AND MATHEMATICS

2009-2010 Assessment Results
Percentage at Levels 3 or 4

                                           Reading        Writing        Math   
All students RDSB                57%            65%            65%

RDSB Results from 2002-2010
Percentage at Levels 3 or 4
Shows steady improvements in academic achievement over time

   
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JUNIOR DIVISION (GRADES 4 TO 6) READING, WRITING AND MATHEMATICS

2009-2010 Assessment Results
Percentage at Levels 3 or 4

                                         Reading        Writing        Math
All students RDSB                69%            66%            56%

RDSB Results from 2002-2010
Percentage at Levels 3 or 4
Shows steady improvements in academic achievement over time

           
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GRADE 9 MATHEMATICS

2000-2010 Assessment Results
Percentage at Levels 3 or 4 – Academic
All students RDSB
Shows steady improvements in academic achievement over time

02-03      03-04      04-05     05-06      06-07      07-08      08-09      09-10

69%        70%        66%        74%        60%        74%        77%        78%

2000-2010 Assessment Results
Percentage at Levels 3 or 4 – Applied
All students RDSB
Shows steady improvements in academic achievement over time

02-03     03-04      04-05      05-06      06-07      07-08       08-09    09-10

24%        27%        19%        34%        31%        30%        33%        36%

EQAO assessment results are reported in two ways – “All Students” and “Participating Students”. The “All Students” method reports results that are based on all students registered in the program.  The “Participating Students” method excludes students in the “exempt” and “no data” categories of the assessment.

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Media Contact:

Nicole Charette, Senior Advisor,
Corporate Communications and Strategic Planning,
Rainbow District School Board, 705.674.3171, ext. 7217.