Rainbow District School Board had the highest result among English-language school boards in Northeastern Ontario in the 2022-2023 Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) assessments in primary reading, writing and math as well as junior reading and math.
The results were presented to trustees during the regular meeting of the board held on Oct. 24.
While the board maintained its results in Grade 3 reading, Rainbow said in a news release, there was an improvement in Grade 3 writing.
The board also maintained its results in Grade 3 math, ranking first among English-language school boards in the Northeast Region.
Unlike the Grade 3 results, there was a decrease in results in Grade 6 writing, with a “notable increase” at the Grade 6 level in math.
In Grade 9 math, there is only two years of data since the implementation of the de-streamed curriculum, the board said. Year-over-year results showed improvement, with Rainbow District School Board ranking second in the Northeast Region.
As well, there was a small decline in the number of eligible Grade 10 students who passed the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT).
The board said it will continue to identify the learning needs of students through assessments and provide intervention strategies for Grades 7 to 9.
EQAO results provide a measure of how well students understand the expectations outlined in the Ontario Curriculum.
Primary and junior reading, writing and mathematics tests were written in late May and early June 2023. Just over 900 students participated in the primary assessment and the junior assessment. Very few students were exempt from the assessments.
“We recognize that there is more work to be done and we are being very purposeful in our work. We invite parents/guardians, our partners in education, to support student success at home,” said director of education Bruce Bourget, in a press release.
“Reading to children and having them read to you helps students become better readers and writers. Engaging in activities that involve adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing helps students become better mathematicians. These are not only important skills for learning, they are important skills for living.”
The Grade 9 math assessments were completed in January 2023 (Semester 1) and June 2023 (Semester 2). A total of 939 students participated in the Grade 9 math assessments.
The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) was written in the fall of 2022 and spring of 2023. A total of 938 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 per cent to 100 per cent). Achievement is above the provincial standard. Students in Level 3 have demonstrated a high level of achievement (70 per cent to 79 per cent).
EQAO results are available at www.eqao.com.
