Oshawa's Dr. S.J. Phillips Public School, Ajax's St. Bernadette Catholic
School, and Barrie Central Collegiate Institute Profiled by EQAO

CENTRAL ONTARIO, Sept. 17 /CNW/ - Three of the 18 schools profiled in the Education Quality and Accountability Office's (EQAO) Provincial Report, released today, are located in central Ontario. These schools are at various stages in their own journey of learning but all are representative of the dedicated school communities that can be found right across Ontario. They are notable for their leadership, proactive initiatives, data-driven strategies and whole-school approaches to help every child succeed. These are schools that have adopted an action plan based on their unique circumstances and that work toward improved student outcomes using provincial assessment results to support their own improvement planning.

    
    -   Dr. S. J. Phillips Public School, Oshawa

        "As soon as teachers hit the school parking lot, they are ready and
        available to assist students. I know that the teachers have passion,
        and they bring their best to school every day."
        - Barbara Hardy, principal

    -   St. Bernadette Catholic School, Ajax

        "It's a group of people who work collaboratively for the same goal:
        the betterment of our children. 'Let each become all he or she is
        capable of being' is a phrase that best describes our work."
        - Mary Lou Laramee, principal

    -   Barrie Central Collegiate Institute, Barrie

        "I think, in Grade 9 math especially, it helps to have a science
        background when teaching mathematics. Students need to get up and be
        active, measure and manipulate things. That's how our math classrooms
        operate."
        - Russell Atkinson, principal
    

"Ontario's provincial assessment program isn't just about testing; it's about using evidence to create tools to support effective learning," said Marguerite Jackson , EQAO's Chief Executive Officer. "As the data in our Provincial Report show once again, educators regularly use EQAO results to evaluate their delivery of the provincial curriculum. Of the elementary principals surveyed this year, 94% - virtually all of them - said they used the previous year's results to guide school improvement initiatives. The provincial assessments have become a fundamental resource for educators across Ontario."

Some of the common themes that schools identify as factors in addressing the literacy and numeracy needs of students 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 implementing Ministry of Education initiatives.

The provincial news release "EQAO Publishes School- and Board-Level Results of Provincial Testing" and a backgrounder are also available.

Results for all publicly funded elementary and secondary schools and their school boards are available at www.eqao.com.

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

For further information: and to arrange interviews, please contact Katia Collette, Communications Officer, [phone], [email protected]