'We've failed our students,' says Simcoe County trustee of below-average test scores

Results from recent provincial reading, writing and math tests put Simcoe County students below Ontario averages overall.

One Simcoe County trustee was particularly frustrated to see each of the Simcoe County District School Board's overall results from one to 15 percentage points below provincial averages. 

“We’ve failed our students in our math education capabilities,” said Robin Talbot, the trustee for Midland, Penetanguishene, Tiny and Tay Township during an Oct. 9 school board meeting. “I’m trying to develop a positive attitude about our approach but I don’t see a lot in the results.”

The province is responsible for creating and administering reading, writing, and math assessments for Ontario students in grades 3, 6, and 9, as well as the Grade 10 Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT).

Averages are reported as the percentage of students that met or exceeded the provincial standard for the test. 

The results, released last week, of the 2023/24 Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) for the province and two local school boards were as follows: 

*Literacy test percentages represent the portion of students eligible to take the test for the first time and who passed on their first attempt. 

When contacted for comment on the SMCDSB’s results this year, Daniel Stargratt, superintendent of program services with the Catholic board, said that despite some of the numbers, their board is noticing improvements.

“The important thing for families to recognize is that the real benefit of EQAO, for both students and educators, happens when we look beyond the surface results,” said Stargratt in an email.

“EQAO is a snapshot in time, and there are many other assessments that we use to support our students with their achievement and well-being,” he said.

He points specifically to some numbers he found encouraging, such as the board’s Grade 6 literacy results.

“We still have work to do to improve mathematics results in Grade 3, 6 and 9,” said Stargratt.

The Catholic board's Grade 9 math test average was 15 percentage points lower than the provincial average. 

To help address the gaps within the Catholic board, Stargratt said they are placing a renewed focus on understanding and responding to student needs in a different way.

“We are taking the time to understand what students are interested in and what their strengths are so that they can get excited and empowered in their learning,” he said.

Although the public board’s results are slightly below the provincial averages, they have increased compared to the 2023 results.

“There are positive results this year. I think we made some great gains in the area of math through some great initiatives our board has run,” said Dean Maltby, superintendent of student achievement with the SCDSB in an interview, noting the board takes pride in their OSSLT achievement this year.

The Grade 3 math scores improved by one per cent this year, Grade 6 by three per cent and Grade 9 by one per cent. 

Maltby pointed to work carried out by Kristen Fennell, one of the board’s superintendents who focuses on math, who has run a series of professional development sessions called Math 2 Learn for teachers to help them dive deeper into math content knowledge and teaching strategies on relaying that knowledge to students.

The board also offers Math At Home programming for families on their website, to help families expand on math learning done in the classroom. They have also provided math kits for families to take home.

“We have work to do in math. The province recognizes that there’s work to do in math. We are not alone in that,” said Fennell during the board’s Oct. 9 meeting. “We have seen some improvements in the junior levels, as that’s where we’ve focused most.”

For literacy, the board also runs professional development for teachers, showing them how to get students engaged in technology to improve literacy skills and prepare students better for the OSSLT.

At the end of discussion at the SCDSB’s program meeting on Oct. 9, Fennell said the board would prepare a deeper dive into this year’s EQAO results, to be presented to trustees in November.