EQAO Profiles the Hard Work and Dedication of a School in Northwestern Ontario

NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO, Sept. 12, 2012 /CNW/ - "We use data to influence our classroom instruction and school improvement planning," said Paul White, principal at St. Thomas Aquinas High School, discussing EQAO data as a tool for supporting student success. "Our goal is to have a consistent approach throughout all subject areas. We study Grades 6, 9 and 10 EQAO data, school climate surveys, attendance records and classroom marks."

The Kenora Catholic District School Board's St. Thomas Aquinas High School is one of the 27 schools profiled in the Education Quality and Accountability Office's (EQAO's) Provincial Reports, released today. All schools being profiled this year are notable for their leadership, data-driven strategies and whole-school approaches to helping every child succeed. Although faced with its own unique circumstances, each profiled school has adopted an action plan to work toward improved student outcomes using provincial assessment results as a guide.

"EQAO results not only help schools identify areas of student learning that need attention, they also help them gauge the effectiveness of their improvement efforts," said Marguerite Jackson, EQAO's Chief Executive Officer. "The schools being profiled this year will surely inspire other schools and their communities across the province."

Some of the common factors in addressing the literacy and numeracy needs of students that the profiled schools have identified are professional learning communities; data-driven decision making; a whole-school approach to literacy, numeracy and student achievement; small-group learning for literacy and numeracy; differentiated instruction; high-quality teaching; early intervention; tracking of all student progress; parental involvement; the coordination of school and board improvement planning and the implementation of Ministry of Education initiatives.

The provincial news release "Ontario Students Demonstrate High Proficiency in Literacy. Success in Math Not Keeping Pace" and a backgrounder are also available.

Results for all publicly funded elementary and secondary schools and their school boards are available on EQAO's web site.

Les résultats des écoles de langue française sont disponibles en français.

SOURCE: Education Quality and Accountability Office

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