Rainbow Board continues to make gains in EQAO assessments

Rainbow District School Board recorded the highest result among English-language school boards in Northeastern Ontario in the 2023-2024 Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) assessments in each of the six elementary areas – Primary reading, writing and math as well as Junior reading, writing and math. The Board had the second highest overall result in Grade 9 math and the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test. EQAO results were presented to Trustees during the regular meeting of the Board held on October 22, 2024.

Rainbow District School Board Director of Education, Bruce Bourget, commended school administrators and staff for the continued gains in literacy and numeracy. He also congratulated students on their achievement. “We have been very purposeful in our work in reading, writing and math and will continue to build on our efforts,” said Director Bourget.

He added: “Incremental gains over time have a positive impact on student success. We continue to focus on building strong literacy and numeracy skills in students as they progress through the grades. We are particularly pleased with the steady growth in math. School Math Action Plans, which were introduced two years ago, are focused on high-yield strategies within a prescribed scope and sequence of instruction. We have many check-ins along the way to ensure students are grasping the concepts and building on prior knowledge.”

In addition to a Math Lead, Rainbow District School Board has eight math coaches who work with schools. The Board continues to provide students with high fidelity math instruction, supported by the work of consultants, coaches and coordinators in all grade levels. In the 2024-2025 school year, the Board introduced numeracy lighthouse classrooms to demonstrate best practices in teaching and learning math.

The ongoing use of best practices for reading instruction through a variety of initiatives, including the cumulative impact of lighthouse classrooms in previous years, consultant support and professional learning, are proving successful. Students are receiving daily reading instruction, with an explicit focus on phonological awareness, phonics and comprehension strategies.

Rainbow teachers also provide rich writing opportunities for students daily as they develop their proficiency.  This year, the Board introduced a writing scope and sequence for Grades 1 to 6 in order to strengthen, streamline and align writing instruction across the board.

In Grade 9 math, there are now three years of data since the implementation of the de-streamed curriculum. Year over year results showed improvement, with Rainbow District School Board ranking second in the Northeast Region.

The number of first-time eligible Grade 10 students who passed the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) represented the highest level of achievement in the past 20 years. Identifying the learning needs of students through assessments and providing intervention strategies for Grades 7 to 9 has proven to be effective.

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.

Primary and Junior reading, writing and mathematics tests were written in late May and early June 2024. A total of 884 students participated in the Primary assessment while 866 students participated in the Junior assessment. Very few students were exempt from the assessments.

The Grade 9 math assessments were completed in January 2024 (Semester 1) and June 2024 (Semester 2). A total of 970 students participated in the Grade 9 math assessments.

The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) was written in the fall of 2023 and spring of 2024. A total of 975 first-time eligible Grade 10 students wrote the OSSLT.

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%).

EQAO results are available at www.eqao.com.

EQAO results are reported on participating students. Participating students 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.