Rainbow Board records best ever EQAO results in Grade 9 applied math

Rainbow District School Board recorded its best ever EQAO results in Grade 9 applied math. A total of 43 per cent of applied students achieved at or above the provincial standard (up by two percentage points). Gains were also made at the academic level with 75 per cent of students achieving at or above the provincial standard (up by two percentage points.) 

“We are pleased with the gains made in Grade 9 math, particularly in the applied pathway where there has been a steady and significant increase over the past six years,” said Director of Education Norm Blaseg. “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 2013. A total of 995 students participated in the assessment, including 643 students in academic math and 352 students in applied math.

In addition to Grade 9 math, EQAO released results for the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT). A total of 1,117 students in the Rainbow District School Board’s ten secondary schools in Sudbury, Espanola and Manitoulin wrote the OSSLT for the first time on April 11, 2013 – the highest participation rate in the last five administrations of the test. Seventy-four percent of students were successful.

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%).

2008-09	2009-10	2010-11	2011-12	2012-13
77%	78%	83%	73%	75%

2008-09	2009-10	2010-11	2011-12	2012-13
82%	81%	79%	76%	74%

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.