Delayed EQAO results released, Ontario to review standardized testing approach as math improvement too slow

Ontario's education minister is appointing advisers to review the province's approach to standardized testing, saying results are not showing enough improvement, particularly in math.

Math scores on the Education Quality and Accountability Office standardized tests have been a concern for the province for years, as only about half of Grade 6 students are able to meet the standard.

The latest results released Wednesday, which reflect tests conducted last year, are up a few percentage points from the previous two years, but that is still not where they need to be, Education Minister Paul Calandra said.

"Some student groups and school boards continue to face serious gaps in achievement, and this is simply not good enough," he said.

"Our responsibility is to do everything possible to boost student success. Students deserve better, and we must do better."

Calandra said he will be naming two people to an advisory body early next year to do a comprehensive review, which will assess why the pace of improvement isn't faster, whether the curriculum and learning resources are clear, how well teachers are being prepared and whether students have the tools they need.

Wednesday's EQAO results show that 64 per cent of Grade 3 students met the math standard, up from 61 and 60 per cent in the previous two years. In Grade 6, 51 per cent of students met the standard, up slightly from 50 per cent in the two previous years. In Grade 9, 58 per cent met the standard, up from 54 per cent in the previous two years.

Students are also assessed in reading and writing in Grades 3 and 6, and Grade 10 students take a literacy test.

In reading, 71 per cent of Grade 3 students met the standard and 86 per cent of Grade 6 students met it. When it comes to writing, 65 per cent of Grade 3 students met the standard and 85 per cent of Grade 6 students met it. The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test typically written in Grade 10 saw 85 per cent of first-time eligible students meet the standard.

The reading, writing and literacy results tend to be higher than math each year, but Calandra said he would like to see improvement in those too.

Calandra delayed releasing the results this year, saying he wanted to take a "deep dive" before making them public, and said he found significant differences between boards.

"Niagara Catholic and public are doing very, very well," he said.

"They're leaders across the province in, frankly, all categories with the same level of funding. So from board to board, English to French, the same levels of funding have very, very different results, and that's what I think we've got to get to the bottom of."

In the Niagara public school board, 71 per cent of the Grade 6 students met the standard in math. Calandra said the Near North District School Board, which he recently took over, has some of the lowest results, with 29 per cent of Grade 6 students meeting the math standard.