Rainbow Board makes gains in EQAO Gr. 9 academic math and OSSLT results

Rainbow District School Board made gains on EQAO results in Grade 9 academic math. A total of 78 per cent of students achieved at or above the provincial standard (up by three percentage points). 

While seven per cent of students in applied math achieved Level 4, the highest ever for the Board, overall results at the applied level declined. A total of 37 per cent of students achieved at or above the provincial standard (down by six percentage points.)

In addition to Grade 9 math, EQAO released results for the Grade 10 Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT). Seventy-five percent of Rainbow students were successful (up by one percentage point).

“We are pleased with the gains made in Grade 9 math in the academic pathway,” said Director of Education Norm Blaseg. “At the applied level, there had been a steady and significant increase over the past six years leading up to our best results ever in 2012-2013. We will continue to use EQAO trend data over time 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 and Framework Schools are two of the strategies that continue to have 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. 

Framework Schools, meanwhile, receive additional support for professional learning in the area of literacy and numeracy. During the 2012-2013 school year, teachers at three secondary schools received release time to work with a Co-ordinator. A team of principals, superintendents and federation representatives visited these schools during the year to provide ongoing feedback and support.

The Grade 9 mathematics test was administered in January and June 2014. A total of 973 students participated in the assessment, including 653 students in academic math and 320 students in applied math.

A total of 1,108 students in the Rainbow District School Board’s ten secondary schools in Sudbury, Espanola and Manitoulin wrote the OSSLT for the first time on March 27, 2014.

The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test assesses the reading and writing skills that students are expected to have learned in all subjects by the end of Grade 9, as outlined in The Ontario Curriculum. Students must successfully complete literacy requirements to obtain an Ontario Secondary School Diploma.

In Rainbow Schools, reading and writing is taught in all subject areas. Embedding literacy across the curriculum demonstrates that good reading and writing skills are essential to all learning. It also supplements the explicit instruction that students receive in English. 

Copies of EQAO results are available at www.eqao.com. 

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The Ministry of Education has set Level 3 as the provincial standard for the math assessment.  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%).

2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14

78% 83% 73% 75% 78%

2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14

36% 40% 41% 43% 37%

2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14

81% 79% 76% 74% 75%

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Media Contact:

Nicole Charette, Senior Advisor, 

Corporate Communications and Strategic Planning, 

Rainbow District School Board, 705.674.3171, ext. 7217.