The results are in and the Kenora Catholic District School Board has things to celebrate. For the second year in a row the board has posted extremely high results in the Applied Level Mathematics course in Grade Nine. This group has traditionally not scored very highly in Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) testing provincially. They are also proud of the results in several of their elementary schools.
Ontario has province wide testing every year that looks at how well students are doing in reading, writing and mathematics in the primary and junior divisions as well as a Grade 9 Mathematics test and the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT). The results for this year (of students at level 3 or 4) are as follows:
The Catholic school board has a couple of areas that they will concentrate on in the secondary schools. Mary Cunningham, Superintendent of Instructional Services explains, "It is really important for us to share the successful strategies that we are seeing in the grade nine applied classes. We are very proud of this work and we are finding ways to scale these great learning ideas so that others can see similar results." The board has also been given funds to work with students who are not successful on the literacy test to ensure that good literacy skills and a high level of confidence are in place. Cunningham says, "This is an exciting opportunity to build on our students' strengths and find ways to enhance the key literacy skills that we all need to be able to be successful in life."
At the elementary level the board is working on Mathematics abilities for both staff and students. "We will work closely with our teachers to make sure that we are closing any gaps that have been created," says Paul White, Superintendent of Instructional Services for the board. "We have a great staff and we know that if we work together we can find ways to create increased success for our students."
For more information about EQAO Testing please visit http://www.eqao.com/en