BRANTFORD, ON – The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) publicly released the results of all Grades 3 and 6 students who wrote the Reading, Writing and Mathematics assessments, Grade 9 students who wrote the Mathematics assessment, and Grade 10 students who wrote the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT). The Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board (BHNCDSB) commends its participating pupils and the staff and parents/guardians that supported them. The BHNCDSB utilizes EQAO data to understand pupil learning needs and respond with classroom instruction that further strengthens student achievement.
“The more information we have about our students and their learning process, the better we can support them to reach their academic goals and potential”, said Superintendent of Education Michael Lawlor.
BHNCDSB students continued their strong showing in literacy. Nearly 78% of our Grade 3 pupils and 89% of our Grade 6 pupils scored above the provincial standard (i.e. a grade of 70% or greater) in Reading. Similarly, 88.4% of Grade 10 students achieved the provincial standard on the OSSLT. These Reading and Literacy rates are all well above the EQAO assessment provincial average. In Writing, Grades 3 and 6 were relatively equal with EQAO’s provincial average.
“Our successful results in Reading, Writing and secondary Literacy can be attributed to the dedication of our students and their parents/guardians and the daily commitment that our educators make to cultivate the skills and knowledge base today’s youth require to master the real-world”, said Superintendent of Education Michael Lawlor. “The data suggests that our students continue to receive a quality Catholic education rooted in Christ and measured through the Catholic Graduate Expectations. We continually strive to perfect our pedagogical approach across all grade levels and at all our schools seeking opportunities to further improve student achievement.”
Numeracy remains an area of focus for the BHNCDSB, with significant supports in place to help students improve their achievement on provincial assessments.
Although Grades 3, 6 and 9 students have shown improvement from previous years and continue to score close to their respective EQAO assessment’s provincial average, there continues to be concern throughout Ontario about achievement in mathematics. The BHNCDSB is intensively working with students to improve their acquisition of numeracy skills and understanding of mathematical concepts through in-class interventions, after- school tutoring, the use of spiralling techniques in the classroom and coaching for teachers and school administrators implementing high-impact instructional practices. A focus on primary and junior level mathematics has been adopted as an early intervention strategy to support our students as they build foundational concepts in this area. In particular, there is an increased focus on strengthening mathematics achievement among Grade 6 pupils.
“Our focus on numeracy reflects the important role mathematics plays in our students’ learning today and in their future success. A solid foundation in financial literacy opens an abundance of pathways for pupils to achieve their future academic and career goals. We remain committed to closely analyzing EQAO and classroom achievement data to support our educators to further develop their instructional practices to help students achieve success”, said Superintendent of Education Michael Lawlor. “Student achievement in mathematics continues to be a focus for our district and the EQAO results released recently let us know that dedicating blocks of time to teaching numeracy, the use of high impact instructional practices, and targeted support in schools for pupils and educators are working and need to be amplified.”
The BHNCDSB continues to take action to improve student learning with the timely adoption of the provincially mandated early reading screener for Kindergarten to Grade 2 students, district-developed elementary mathematics scope and sequence tools, and new financial literacy modules and accompanying assessment for secondary pupils. These strategies will serve to strengthen the district’s approach to literacy and numeracy across the system.
The BHNCDSB uses EQAO results to help inform educators, school administrators, and program consultants in their efforts to improve classroom practice and student academic success. Our system plan continues to support students as they develop skills and knowledge in literacy and numeracy. We thank all parents and caregivers for their partnership in the learning success of our students.
See all BHNCDSB results on the EQAO public webpage.
MEDIA RELEASE CONTACT
Tracey Austin | Manager of Communications and Community Relations
Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board
Email: communications@bhncdsb.ca
