EQAO Profiles Three Schools in the Greater Toronto Area for Improving Student Achievement

TORONTO, Sept. 17, 2014 /CNW/ - The Toronto District School Board's Dallington Public School (North York) and Gracedale Public School (North York), and York Region District School Board's Donald Cousens Public School (Markham) are being profiled in the Education Quality and Accountability Office's (EQAO's) Provincial Elementary School Report, released today, for its committed efforts and success improving student achievement.

Fourteen elementary schools across the province are being profiled this year. Each has been identified because of the notable improvement in its EQAO results over time. Each school team has shared how EQAO and other data have been used to guide instructional programs, which in turn have helped improve the literacy and numeracy skills of students.

QUOTES

"During our TLCP sessions, we look at big ideas, explicit teaching and the gradual release of responsibility, which allows me to reflect on my daily practice and make changes where necessary. Working together, we understand that we share responsibility for the success of all students, not just those in our own class."
— Catherine Thomson, French Immersion Kindergarten Teacher, Dallington Public School

"By spending time with data and doing so regularly, we are able to discern what it is telling us, leading us to ask questions to get to a deeper understanding of what is going on. We then can make informed decisions, which lead to enhanced student achievement."
— Susan Billington, Principal, Gracedale Public School

Teachers "devour data, using it as the starting point to understand our context. Data allows us to be precise, to personalize and to drill down right to the classroom."
— Tracey Cox, Principal, Donald Cousens Public School

"The schools being profiled demonstrate significant progress in supporting student achievement. They have used EQAO data, alongside in-school evidence, in planning improvements to their programs and teaching practices. These particular schools are seeing positive results in student achievement as a result of their efforts. I trust that these stories will serve as an inspiration to other school communities across the province."
— Bruce Rodrigues, Chief Executive Officer, EQAO

LEARN MORE

Visit www.eqao.com for the following:

EQAO School and School Board Profiles and Reports

Infographic: EQAO Provincial Assessments 2014

About EQAO

EQAO's assessments measure student achievement in reading, writing and mathematics in relation to Ontario Curriculum expectations. The resulting data provide accountability and a gauge of quality in Ontario's publicly funded education system. By providing this important evidence about learning, EQAO acts as a catalyst for increasing the success of Ontario students.

The objective and reliable results from EQAO's assessments complement the information obtained from classroom and other assessments to provide students, parents, teachers and administrators with a clear and comprehensive picture of student achievement and a basis for targeted improvement planning at the individual, school, school board and provincial levels. EQAO helps build capacity for the appropriate use of data by providing resources that educators, parents, policy-makers and others in the education community can use to improve learning and teaching. EQAO distributes an individual report to each student who writes an assessment, and posts school, school board and provincial results on its Web site.

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

SOURCE: Education Quality and Accountability Office

and to arrange interviews, please contact Angele Dufresne, Communications Officer, 416-212-7047, [email protected]