Standardized test results show students in Toronto’s public board are doing worse in reading, writing and math, when compared with the previous year.
On Thursday, the Education Quality and Accountability Office released provincial and board-level data for assessments done in 2023-24, providing a snapshot of whether kids are meeting curriculum expectations at different stages.
The Toronto District School Board saw a decline in student achievement results at all levels of EQAO testing done last year, compared with the previous year.
“All TDSB results and trends are in line with provincial results for students reaching the provincial standard,” board spokesperson Ryan Bird said in an email. “While reading and math results went down slightly by 1 to 2 percentage points for TDSB and the province, writing in Grade 3 and 6 went down more significantly by 4-5 percentage points for both TDSB and the province as a whole.
“There is evidence this is potentially a pandemic cohort effect for both the province and the TDSB. We have continued to monitor this for a few years in the TDSB as Grade 3 students had a disrupted kindergarten experience and Grade 6 students experienced significant disruptions in their learning throughout grades 2 and 3.
“With the introduction of the TDSB’s Literacy Strategy at Committee this week, as well as the Math Strategy last year, we are committed to improving results through these targeted approaches.”
Across the province, students in grades 3 and 6 are assessed in reading, writing and math. And in high school they write a Grade 9 math test, and a literacy test, with first-time eligible students typically taking it in Grade 10. The aim is to see how many scored at or above the provincial standard, equivalent to an A or B.
At the TDSB, in Grade 3, 70 per cent of students met the provincial standard in reading (down two percentage points); 63 per cent in writing (down four percentage points); and 59 per cent in math (down one percentage point).
In Grade 6, 81 per cent met the standard in reading (down three percentage points); 80 per cent in writing (down five percentage points); and 52 per cent in math (down two percentage points).
In Grade 9, 56 per cent of teens met the standard in math (down a percentage point); and among first-time students taking the literacy test, 84 per cent met the standard (down a percentage point).
Last year, 570,000 students across Ontario took the online EQAO tests. When compared with the previous year, math results are generally stable provincewide. In Grade 3, 61 per cent met the standard (up a percentage point); in Grade 6, it was 50 per cent (unchanged) and in Grade 9, it was 54 per cent (unchanged).
Meanwhile, provincial reading and writing results were stronger, but scores slipped from the previous year.
For students in Grade 3, 71 per cent met the standard in reading (down two percentage points); 64 per cent did in writing (down a percentage point). Among those in Grade 6, 82 per cent met the standard in reading (down two percentage points) and 80 per cent in writing (down four percentage points).
For grades 3 and 6 students, the three-year trend shows a decrease in the percentage meeting the provincial standard in reading and writing, and an increase in mathematics. Meanwhile, the three-year trend in Grade 9 math shows the percentage meeting the provincial standard has increased — it’s up two percentage points from 2021-22.
“Today’s EQAO results show that, after years of disruption to foundational classroom learning resulting from the pandemic, student learning in Ontario is stabilizing as our government’s focus on core learning and practical skills development begins to be felt,” said Minister of Education Jill Dunlop in a media statement.
”… Ontario students are benefiting from our government’s back-to-basics approach, including over $165 million in investments to support literacy and math, as well as the steps we have taken to avoid labour unrest so students can remain in the classroom.”
At the Toronto Catholic District School Board, student performance, compared with the previous year, largely either dropped or remained stable; however, the Grade 9 math score rose. The board has begun a thorough analysis to identify next steps.
In Grade 3, 74 per cent met the standard in reading (down one percentage point); 67 per cent in writing (down four percentage points) and 58 per cent in math (down one percentage point). In Grade 6, 83 per cent met the standard in reading (down two percentage points); 84 per cent in writing (down two percentage points) and 48 per cent in math (unchanged).
In Grade 9 math, 55 per cent met the standard (up one percentage point). And literacy test results remained unchanged with 84 per cent meeting the standard.
“While EQAO scores capture progress students have made beyond a set standard and across achievement levels, our efforts continue to be focused on the continuum of learning supported by strong instructional practices that allow each student to reach their full potential,” said Shazia Vlahos, the board’s chief communications officer.
“For instance, we will continue to implement early reading interventions to support writing, high yield literacy strategies and ensure that all schools explicitly identify numeracy as a critical need,” she said in a statement to the Star.
The EQAO says several English and French-language school boards saw gains in math scores, in part thanks to strategies developed locally by teachers with the support of the provincial math action team and math leads at the board. It plans to share the approaches educators used that made a marked difference in achievement.