Math progress stalls among Ontario's elementary students
August 28, 2008
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Kristin Rushowy
EDUCATION REPORTER
Ontario elementary students posted gains in reading and writing, but their math skills have stalled, according to just-released test scores.
Roughly two-thirds of grades 3 and 6 students who wrote the tests last spring met provincial standards, says the province's Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO).
One noticeable gain was in Grade 6 writing, in which 67 per cent of students met the provincial standard, roughly a B (70 per cent) grade. That was a jump from 61 per cent in 2006-7.
The EQAO also reports that 40 per cent of Grade 3 students who didn't make the grade three years ago did so in Grade 6.
"We focused on those Grade 6s, we put a lot of resources in and really drilled down," said Education Minister Kathleen Wynne.
"Overall, we see improvement where we are putting the bulk of resources, and we know there's more to be done."
In the 2003-4 school year, just 54 per cent of Grade 3 students met the standard in reading, and 58 per cent in writing; now, 61 per cent do in reading and 66 in writing.
However, in math, 64 per cent of students passed five years ago, and just 68 per cent in 2007-8, which is actually one percentage point down from last year.
The province's goal is for three-quarters of students to be meeting the standard.
In all areas, boys continue to lag behind girls; in writing, 76 per cent of Grade 3 girls met the standard compared to 58 per cent of boys.
"How much of that is developmental, and how much is it that we are not doing things right?" said Wynne, adding that is one area of provincial focus.
Another stubbornly low result is Grade 9 math, where just 34 per cent in the applied stream were successful, compared to 75 per cent in the academic stream.
Individual board and school EQAO results will be released Sept. 17.
Grade 6 French-language students already exceed standards in all three areas.
Toronto Star