Kathleen Wynne, Minister of Education: Statement to the Legislative Assembly

Ontario Focused Intervention Partnership (OFIP)

November 16, 2006

Mr. Speaker, the McGuinty government is providing new funding and resources so thousands of elementary students at almost 800 schools will receive intensive support in reading, writing and math.

Our government realizes that every child learns differently, that every child benefits from individual attention, and that schools need specialized resources so they can help each student reach his or her full potential. That’s why we’re committed to providing Ontario schools with proven tools and resources that help kids excel in reading, writing and math. 

Our government’s $25 million investment will particularly target elementary schools where at least two-thirds of students have achieved below the provincial standard on Education Quality and Accountability Office tests over the past three years.

However, all schools across the province will have access to innovative resources and approaches that have been proven to boost student achievement. 

The Ontario Focussed Intervention Partnership expands on Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat’s strategy with the successful Turnaround Teams approach, which substantially improved student achievement in many schools. In the first phase of the turnaround program, 84 per cent of schools showed dramatically improved results.

My ministry’s Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat has developed a made-in-Ontario strategy based on proven practices in international jurisdictions such as Australia and Great Britain. Some of these strategies that have maximum impact on student achievement are uninterrupted blocks of time for reading, writing and math, using common assessment tools, and providing professional learning support for staff.

As you may know Mr. Speaker, the government has set a target of 75 per cent of Grade 6 students meeting or exceeding the provincial standard in reading, writing and math by 2008. And in fact, nearly 900 schools, or one-quarter of elementary schools in Ontario, had at least 75 per cent of students achieving at the provincial standard in Grade 6 reading in 2005-06.  In 2002-03, fewer than 450 schools met the provincial standard in reading. Indeed, provincewide tests from the 2005-06 school year show that overall, 64 per cent of Ontario students are meeting or exceeding the provincial standards in reading, writing and math – a 10 percentage point increase, up from 54 per cent in 2002-03.

Clearly, students are already benefitting from our government’s initiatives to help more elementary students succeed.

We have provided funding to hire 3,600 teachers – this will reduce the number of students in JK to Grade 3 classes to a maximum of 20 students in 90 per cent of classes by 2007-08

We are providing a more well-rounded education, with funding to hire 1,600 elementary specialist teachers in areas such as music, phys-ed and the arts.

And, we have trained more than 12,000 teachers and principals in shared reading, and 16,000 in differentiated instruction.

Mr. Speaker, we’re building on the tremendous improvement Ontario’s kids are making in reading, writing and math. EQAO tests do not capture the whole story of learning, but these additional resources will ensure that each of our children will have a firm foundation for becoming well-rounded citizens, ready and well-prepared for the future.

Thank you.