HWDSB students below average in EQAO tests but results are 'meaningless,' teachers' union rep says

Students in the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) have fallen below provincial averages in all categories measured by the recent Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) tests but those tests, the president of the Hamilton-Wentworth Elementary Teachers' local union says, are "meaningless."

"It's certainly not useful for our members. It doesn't aid in the education of children," Jeff Sorensen said, adding that it's time to stop spending money on it. 

The EQAO provincial results measure student marks in reading, writing and mathematics. The results were posted on Oct. 20, and included the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) results.

It is the first time since the start of the pandemic began that the tests were administered. 

He said the tests encourage anxiety and stress in principals, parents, teachers and children, encouraging "teaching to the test" and doesn't provide information on what students need. 

"It tells us nothing that we don't already know," he said. "In terms of within the classroom, teachers do diagnostic or formative assessment every day and that's what helps you know what a child needs at that point in time."

The HWCDSB celebrated their results, with Grade 3 scores exceeding the provincial average, and their Grade 6 results meeting them.

The HWDSB saw a steady decline in math scores, especially for Grade 6 students, since 2015. 

Sheryl Robinson Petrazzini, the director of education at the HWDSB said, "student learning and achievement was, and continues to be, a pandemic priority." 

"The EQAO results represent a new baseline for HWDSB. We expect to see improvements as a result of new and continued learning recovery strategies," she said.

Following the release of the EQAO provincial results, Stephen Lecce, Ontario's Education Minister, announced the next steps in the province's plan. 

The plan involves a payment of about $200 to $250 for each school-aged child up to 18 years old. He says the money is to be used to fund "additional tutoring supports, supplies or equipment that enhance student learning."

Grace Lee, a spokesperson in Lecce's office said, "While student learning loss due to the pandemic is a global challenge, Ontario has a plan that invests in expanded school and tutoring supports to ensure students can learn the skills they need to succeed for the jobs of tomorrow," Lee said.

Sorensen said he would "equate those payments to the bribes that Doug Ford sent out with the cancelled licence plate stickers," adding that "$250 in the hands of a parent is not going to solve their child's educational needs."