Gains made in EQAO results in Rainbow Schools

Rainbow District School Board continues to show growth in EQAO results in reading, writing and math with year over year improvements and gains over time.

Primary writing had the highest score ever in the 2011-2012 school year. A total of 69 per cent of students achieved the provincial standard, an increase of four percentage points. Primary reading and math remained at 60 per cent. Junior reading and writing increased by one percentage point. Junior math experienced a year over year increase of four percentage points.

Grade 9 math results at the academic level, which recorded an all time high last year, reached 73 per cent.  Grade 9 math results at the applied level recorded their fifth consecutive year of gains at 41 per cent.

“Rainbow District School Board’s scores over the past five years continue to follow the provincial trend,” said Director of Education Norm Blaseg. “In particular, we have made notable gains in writing at the Primary and Junior levels. We will continue to use EQAO data to identify areas for continuous improvement.”

EQAO results 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.

Director Blaseg thanked educators for their ongoing efforts and congratulated students on their achievement. He added: “Assessment results are used to enhance student learning. 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? As always, we will build on our efforts.”

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. Teachers monitor student learning over time and adjust strategies to support growth.

Demonstration Teachers enable teachers to learn from each other, one of the most effective ways of influencing student learning.  Teachers visit elementary 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 2011-2012 school year, teachers at nine 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.

Primary and Junior reading, writing and mathematics tests were written in late May and early June 2012.  There were 820 students in Grade 3 in Rainbow Schools. There were 931 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 2012. A total of 1,117 students participated in the assessment, including 754 students in academic math and 363 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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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.