October 12, 2023, Brantford, Ont. – The Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board is pleased to report that the Catholic elementary students in Grades 3 and 6, continue to do well in EQAO assessment areas.

In Grade 3, students across the system did better than the previous years by nearly 5% in each area of the assessment.

The Grade 6 results demonstrate that our students do consistently well against the province reaching and exceeding the Provincial average in reading and writing. Our Grade 6 achievement in mathematics showed a marked improvement as well with a gain of almost 7% across the system with some more work to do against the province. These scores indicate that measures to close the learning gaps are working and will continue to be a focus for district and school achievement planning this year.

Grade 6

“We are very pleased with our results, especially in the area of Mathematics for our Junior students. Improved outcomes in Mathematics has been a focus for our District and will continue to be with our new Math Action Plan in both Grades 3 and 6. We have been intentional with our Professional Development for educators through instruction, engagement, and targeted support for student learning. Our Student Achievement Team continues to address Reading and Writing in our Primary divisions with targeted instruction, professional learning, and collaborative planning as we roll out the new language curriculum with its focus on structured literacy.” said Lorrie Temple, Superintendent of Education.

Results above the province for Catholic Secondary Students in EQAO Assessment

The Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board is pleased to report that Catholic secondary school students continue to trend higher than the Province in Grade 9 Mathematics at two of our three secondary schools. St. John’s College is outperforming the province by over 6%.

85% of students across the Board are successful at meeting or exceeding the Provincial average for the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT). Nearly 95% of our BHNCDSB students, studying at the Academic Level, are successful the first time they write the OSSLT. Applied students and students taking the locally developed English course, are trending just shy of the Provincial average.

“We will continue with our School Achievement Team plans including intentional teaching and learning practices, collaborative planning, as well as targeted support where needed with new destreaming coaches and transition teachers,” said Lorrie Temple, Superintendent of Education. “Our plan will be to continue the good work we are doing remaining focused on closing the gaps at the Applied level and for students taking the locally developed course, as well as address required supports at specific schools,” said Lorrie Temple.

The EQAO Assessment results are used to guide improvement initiatives as they relate to student achievement. Specifically, results are used to help inform teachers, department heads, principals, and program consultants in their efforts to improve classroom practice and success rates. The district plan continues to support ongoing efforts in building students’ knowledge and skills in Mathematics and aligns with the Ministry’s direction for the Math Action Plan. We are encouraged by the overall improvement of the district’s EQAO results and will continue to place focused supports as required.

The Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board offers faith-based education serving nearly 13,000 students from Six Nations of the Grand River, Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, Brant, Haldimand, and Norfolk Counties, and the City of Brantford. The district has over 1,700 full and part-time staff committed to Belonging, Teaching and Learning, and Wellness for all.

Link to EQAO data: https://www.eqao.com/results/interactive-eqao-dashboards/

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For more information about this release contact:

Lorrie Temple | Superintendent of Education | ltemple@bhncdsb.ca