TORONTO, Oct. 7, 2014 /CNW/ - Ontario is the only Canadian jurisdiction whose students achieved at or above the national average in all three of the subjects tested—science, reading and math—by the 2013 Pan-Canadian Assessment Program (PCAP). Ontario's results were above the Canadian average in science and reading and statistically the same in math, according to reports released today by the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) and the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC).
QUICK FACTS
- PCAP is a program of national standardized tests of reading, math and science skills administered every three years to Grade 8 students.
- Ontario students' results were slightly above the Canadian average in science (the major domain for PCAP 2013). Only Alberta had higher results in this subject. Fully 94% of Ontario students achieved at the expected level of performance (Level 2, which represents baseline proficiency) or above in science.
- Ontario students' reading results were significantly above the Canadian average. Ontario's score in this area was the highest of all provinces by a significant margin.
- Ontario students' results were at the Canadian average in math. Ontario's results were second only to Quebec's in this subject.
- Ontario student performance has improved notably in reading and remained constant in math since the last administration of PCAP, in 2010. Science achievement results on PCAP cannot yet be compared over time, because 2013 was the first time science was the major domain studied.
- In Ontario, female students continued to outperform male students in reading. There was no statistical gender gap for science or math.
- The 2013 assessment was administered to a random sample of 3208 students in 151 English-language schools and 2180 students in 125 French-language schools in Ontario.
QUOTES
"Ontario students are consistently strong performers on national and international assessments, and PCAP 2013 is no exception. Periodic nationwide assessments like PCAP complement EQAO's annual assessments of literacy and math by providing some insight into Ontario students' achievement relative to their peers across the country.
— Brian Desbiens, Chair, EQAO Board of Directors
"It's encouraging that Ontario students performed so well on PCAP 2013 compared to other jurisdictions in Canada. These results should reinforce the commitment of our education system to ensuring students are gaining the global competencies they need. We know from other assessment results that math, in particular, requires continued attention."
—Bruce Rodrigues, CEO, EQAO
LEARN MORE
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- Highlights of Ontario Students' Results: Pan-Canadian Assessment Program (PCAP), 2013
- Pan-Canadian Assessment Program (PCAP), 2013: Ontario Report (EQAO)
- Pan-Canadian Assessment Program (PCAP), 2013: National Report (CMEC)
PCAP is a program of national standardized tests of reading, math and science skills administered every three years to Grade 8 students. It is an initiative of the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC). The participation of Ontario students is coordinated by the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) on behalf of the provincial government.
The 2013 assessment was administered to 3208 students in 150 English-language schools and 2180 students in 125 French-language schools in Ontario. Since the assessment is administered to a random sample of students in a random sample of schools, individual student, school and school board results are not available.
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.
SOURCE: Education Quality and Accountability Office
Kathleen Garrett, Senior Communications Officer, 416-325-9902, [email protected]
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