New strategies needed to support students who don't meet standard in early grades.
TORONTO, Aug. 26, 2015 /CNW/ - Results from the 2015 Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT), written by Grade 10 students in April, are in.
82% of students who wrote the test for the first time this year were successful. This means that the vast majority of Grade 10 students are able to demonstrate the minimum literacy skills required.
Most students who were not successful on the test in Grade 10 also had not met the provincial reading and writing standards when they were in Grade 6.
While the percentage of students meeting the reading standard in Grade 6 has been steadily increasing for many years, new strategies are needed to support those who do not meet the standard, so they can turn their literacy struggles around by Grade 10. Five years ago, 59% of students improved to be successful on the Grade 10 literacy test after having not met the reading standard in Grade 6. In 2015, that number has dropped to 48%.
QUICK FACTS
- Of the 127 867 students who wrote the OSSLT for the first time in 2015,
- 82% were successful (105 309);
- almost 9 out of 10 female students (86%) were successful;
- almost 8 out of 10 male students (78%) were successful;
- more than 7 out of 10 (73%) English language learners were successful and
- just over half (54%) of students with special education needs were successful.
- The success rate on the OSSLT has remained high and stable for many years.
- 2015—82%
- 2014—83%
- 2013—82%
- 2012—82%
- 2011—83%
- Five years ago (2011), 59% of students improved to be successful on the Grade 10 literacy test after having not met the reading standard in Grade 6. In 2015, that number has dropped to 48%.
QUOTES
"Assessing all of our students against provincial standards is what allows us to uncover important trends such as these and EQAO will continue investigating this decline. A school system that's serious about continuous improvement must have system-wide evidence of student achievement that's both objective and reliable. "
—Dave Cooke, Chair, EQAO
"We know that for many students who didn't meet the provincial standard in elementary school, receiving the right attention and support has helped them overcome their early literacy struggles. This effort must continue if we are to ensure that all students have the basic literacy skills they need to participate fully in society."
—Bruce Rodrigues, CEO, EQAO
LEARN MORE
Video: OSSLT 2015—Highlights of the Provincial Results
EQAO's Highlights of Provincial Results—OSSLT
On September 23, school and board reports will be released for the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test. A full report of provincial results will also be released on this date.
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EQAO is an independent agency that creates and administers large-scale assessments to measure Ontario students' achievement in reading, writing and math at key stages of their education. All EQAO assessments are developed by Ontario educators to align with The Ontario Curriculum. The assessments evaluate student achievement objectively and in relation to a common provincial standard. EQAO is undertaking a multi-year project to move the provincial assessments online.
EQAO provides results to each student who writes an assessment. Its personalized reports help support individual student learning. The agency provides schools and school boards with detailed reports about their students' achievement, as well as contextual, attitudinal and behavioural information from questionnaires, in an interactive online reporting tool. These data are used to improve school programming and classroom instruction. EQAO also reports the results of the provincial assessments publicly. This helps keep the public education system accountable to taxpayers.
EQAO is committed to building capacity for the use of data through articles, workshops, school stories and programs like the Dr. Bette M. Stephenson Recognition of Achievement. EQAO has an active research program that investigates factors that influence student achievement, school effectiveness and best assessment practices.
EQAO coordinates Ontario's participation in national and international assessments.
SOURCE Education Quality and Accountability Office
and to arrange interviews, please contact: Angele Dufresne, Communications Officer, 416-314-4327, [email protected]
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