EQAO Profiles the Hard Work and Dedication of Three Schools in Central Ontario

CENTRAL ONTARIO, Sept. 12, 2012 /CNW/ - "Data is our compass," said Evelyn Alban, principal at Simcoe County District School Board's Tottenham Public School, discussing how the school navigates in its journey toward improving student achievement. "It provides the facts at a given time and allows us to see our successes and gaps."

Tottenham Public School is one of three schools in central Ontario being profiled in the Education Quality and Accountability Office's (EQAO's) Provincial Reports, released today, for their committed efforts toward improving student achievement. The other two schools are the Bluewater District School Board's Peninsula Shores District School and the Durham Catholic District School Board's All Saints Catholic Secondary School. The 27 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.

Assessments of Reading, Writing and Mathematics, Primary Division (Grades 1-3) and Junior Division (Grades 4-6)

• Tottenham Public School,Tottenham
  "The staff members at Tottenham Public School set high expectations for their students and themselves and share the belief that all children can learn and achieve success with the right supports in place. They also share the belief that EQAO is a culminating, whole-school effort that spans across the grades."
  —Evelyn Alban, principal

Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics

• Peninsula Shores District School, Wiarton
  "Although using the data we have at hand is an important piece of the puzzle in our success, I believe that our relationship with the students and the parent community is just as important. Knowing the students and having the personal relationship motivates them to work to the best of their ability to meet the high expectations we have set for them. They know they have the support of the staff when they experience difficulty and readily ask for assistance."
  —Dave Waddington, principal

Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test

• All Saints Catholic Secondary School, Whitby
  "You absolutely need data to inform your school plan and to drive instruction, but it is only one piece. The teacher-student relationship is crucial. At All Saints we are blessed to have staff that look at data and then translate it into actions that are good for students."
  —Gloria Krampp, principal

"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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