EQAO testing results:
The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) is a provincial agency that designs and tests Grade 3 and Grade 6 students in reading, writing and mathematics; grade 9 students for proficiency in mathematics; and grade 10 students’ literacy levels. The EQAO tests are designed to give parents, teachers, principals and school boards information about how well students have learned the Ontario curriculum in reading, writing and mathematics: individually, within their own school and how schools compare to each other and how they rank against other schools across Ontario.
The Assessments of Reading, Writing and Mathematics Primary Division (Grades 1–3) and Junior Division (Grades 4–6) are based on the reading, writing and mathematics expectations in The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1–8. These tests do not count as part of a student’s mark and do not affect their progress or future in school. Students must pass the Grade 10 Literacy Test or Literacy Course in order to graduate with an Ontario Secondary School Diploma. Results up to 2010 are available on the EQAO website (www.eqao.com).
The purpose of the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) is to ensure that students have acquired the essential reading and writing skills that apply to all subject areas in the provincial curriculum up to the end of Grade 9. All students in public and private schools who are working toward an Ontario Secondary School Diploma are required to write the OSSLT in Grade 10. Successful completion of the OSSLT or OSSLC (Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course) is a graduation requirement.
Both the District School Board of Niagara (www.dsbn.org) and the Niagara Catholic District School Board (www.niagaracatholic.ca) have detailed reports on their websites and in their annual reports monitoring results and achievement. Both boards have set targets, and indicate that in 2011 they have made positive strides in the preparation of students to achieve well in these test scores in Niagara.
