Backgrounder

First significant increase in Grade 3 and 6 test scores in years

November 10, 2004

After several years with little or no improvement in student achievement on provincewide reading, writing and math tests, this year's results for Grade 3 and 6 have jumped by seven per cent overall compared to last year.

English-language Results

The improvement clearly demonstrates that, with the right support, Ontario's students and publicly funded education system are capable of achieving the government's ambitious goals for student achievement.

In addition to releasing provincewide and board-by-board data, the Education Quality and Accountability Office has provided school boards with contextual information for the first time this year. This information recognizes the unique nature of every school and board, making the data more useful for boards, parents and educators.

Creating an Environment for Success

The McGuinty government has a goal to ensure that all students achieve a high level of literacy, numeracy and comprehension by age 12. It has set a target for 75 per cent of Ontario students to be at the provincial standard on provincewide reading, writing and math tests by 2008. The government has already taken significant steps this year by creating the Education Foundations Program, which includes:

• Funds to help students struggling the most, beginning last December and again for the current school year by a combined $224 million.
• A new Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat and appointed Avis Glaze as Ontario's first Chief Student Achievement Officer, to work with boards, teachers and principals on the best strategies.
• 1,100 new teachers to reduce class sizes in the early grades in more than 1,300 schools.
• $30 million for French-language boards to help offset special challenges for francophone students.
• Training 8,000 kindergarten to Grade 3 lead teachers in literacy and math and began training 8,000 more for Grades 4 to 6.
• Trained 7,500 kindergarten to Grade 3 teachers last summer on strategies for teaching literacy and math.
• Invested $162 million to help ensure clear outcomes for students with special needs.

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See also:

• News Release: Positive Ontario student results a welcome change – McGuinty Government Credits Boards, Students, Educators, Parents