The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) has released the results of the Grades 3 and 6 assessments of reading, writing and mathematics as well as the Grade 9 mathematics and Grade 10 Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT).
The 2022-23 school year marked the second time Near North District School Board (NNDSB) students completed the new digitalized and modernized EQAO assessments. As per the Ministry direction, students learning in person (and students learning remotely who wrote in person) participated in the assessments in the 2022–2023 school year.
“We are pleased to see a significant increase in the number of Grade 10 students who successfully completed the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test. Educators worked very hard to ensure students felt prepared for the assessment and their efforts have made a significant impact. While there is still much to do to improve student achievement and core academic skills across grade levels, the 2022-23 EQAO measures have demonstrated relative gains in both Grade 6 mathematics and the Grade 10 Literacy test,” said Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Melanie Gray.
EQAO results across the province of Ontario are consistent with testing in other Canadian jurisdictions. Results have indicated general stability and/or moderate gains in math and literacy skills following several years of learning disruptions due to the global pandemic.
The 2022-23 NNDSB results reveal an increase in the percentage of students who were successful in the OSSLT and increased achievement in Grade 6 mathematics. Improving student achievement across all divisions will continue to be a system-wide focus as staff work to implement evidence-based systematic and explicit instructional approaches in language classrooms and high impact instructional practices in math.
Reading and Writing
Grades 3 and 6: While results vary by school, the overall trends showed stability in Grade 3 reading and writing achievement when compared to 2021-22. Grade 6 outcomes indicate a slight decrease from last year’s results.
- Grade 3: In 2022-23, 59 per cent of Grade 3 students met the provincial standard in reading and 46 per cent of Grade 3 students met the provincial standard in writing.
- Grade 6: In 2022-23, 77 per cent of Grade 6 students met the provincial standard in reading and 70 per cent of Grade 6 students met the provincial standard in writing.
Grade 10: The Grade 10 Literacy Test is a compulsory standardized test for all secondary school students in Ontario working towards an Ontario Secondary School Diploma. The test is based on all of the reading and writing expectations in all subjects up to the end of
Grade 9. In 2022-23, 94 per cent of first-time eligible students participated in the OSSLT and 79 per cent of first-time eligible students who wrote the assessment were successful. This is an increase of eight per cent over the previous year.
Mathematics
Improving mathematics achievement will continue to be a focus for schools across our district. NNDSB has launched a math leadership team that will work collaboratively with 19 school-based math facilitators to effectively implement the math achievement action plan priorities, including the use of high impact instructional practices and strengthening mathematics content knowledge for teaching and learning.
Grades 3 and 6: In 2022-23, 42 per cent of Grade 3 students and 33 per cent of Grade 6 students met the provincial standard in the EQAO mathematics assessments (an increase of six per cent over the previous year).
Grade 9: The Grade 9 EQAO assessment is a computer-based, adaptive assessment that measures the mathematics skills students are expected to have learned by the end of the Grade 9 mathematics course. Thirty-two per cent of students who wrote the Grade 9 de-streamed math test met the provincial standard in 2022-23.
EQAO results are just one of many assessment tools that both schools and boards use to measure and improve upon the quality of student programming and student success. The new modernized, digital assessments and reporting tools will continue to inform efforts to close gaps in learning and strengthen literacy and math skills.