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2013-02-17 at 15:36

Head of the class

By Jeff Labine, tbnewswatch.com
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St Paul and St. Pius X Schools have tied as the highest-ranking schools in the city, according to the latest Fraser Institute results.

The two Catholic District School Board elementary schools both ranked 142nd out of 2,714 other schools across the province and scoring an 8.6 out of 10. McKellar Park Central ranked the lowest among the city’s schools coming in at No. 2,639, 70 spots away from last place and scoring two out of 10.

Seven of the top 10 ranked in the city belonged to the Catholic District School Board. The Lakehead Public School Board had three with one of the schools being ranked in the top five.

St. Thomas Aquinas came in second with No. 313. Nor’Wester View is the Lakehead Public School’s top ranked school at No. 392. Corpus Christi rounded out the top five with No. 470.

Holy Cross (567), Holy Family (622), St. Francis (676), Five Mile (676) and Gron Morgan (829) finishes the top 10.

The study also shows elementary schools across the province have also shown improvement in their academic performances. Of the improved schools, 64 are in the GTA, 44 in southwestern Ontario, 36 in the North and 23 in the eastern areas of the province.

"This is why the Fraser Institute school report card is the go-to source for measuring academic improvement: it highlights school success stories from Murillo in the west to Cornwall in the east and from Timmins in the north to Windsor in the south," said Peter Cowley, Fraser Institute director of school performance studies, in a media release.

"Our report shows that all schools are capable of improvement, regardless of the personal or family challenges their students might face. If educators want to help students learn and improve, they should be talking to these schools."

The Fraser Institute report card looks at the public, Catholic and francophone elementary schools based on nine academic indicators using data from the annual province-wide test. These tests include reading, writing and math.

The following is a list of how elementary schools in the Thunder Bay area performed, according to the Fraser Institute. The first number is the overall ranking, out of 2,714 schools. The number in parentheses is the score given each school:

142. St. Paul (8.6)
142. St. Pius X (8.6)
313. St. Thomas Aquinas (8)
392. Nor’Wester View (7.8)
470. Corpus Christi (7.6)
567. Holy Cross (7.4)
622. Holy Family (7.3)
676. St. Francis (7.2)
676. Five Mile (7.2)
829. Gron Morgan (6.9)
1173. St. Elizabeth (6.4)
1239. St. Martin (6.3)
1359. St. Bernard (6.1)
1359. Agnew H. Johnston (6.1)
1463. Franco-Supérieur (5.9)
1518. Edgewater Park (5.8)
1638. Woodcrest (5.6)
1638. Claude E. Garton (5.6)
1760. Westmount (5.4)
1917. Ogden Community (5.1)
1968. Our Lady of Charity (5)
2070. C.D. Howe (4.8)
2110. St. Jude (4.7)
2188. St. James (4.5)
2228. St. Margaret (4.4)
2228. Vance Chapman (4.4)
2271. Valley Central (4.3)
2543. Sherbrooke (3)
2617. Algonquin Avenue (2.3)
2639. McKellar Park Central (2)

The complete results of all 2,714 schools are available at the institute’s website.
 

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Comments

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gopher88 says:
Catholic schools on top. Hmmm their teachers are happy! Happy teachers happy students. Just a thought. Public teachers still fighting the government and not focusing on the classroom .
2/17/2013 6:18:21 PM
tnsaf says:
Good observation gopher. Add that to even more profound info that the Fraser Institute provides much more reliable data than the several million EQAO testing. In fact, EQAO is a very expensive farce.
2/17/2013 7:12:58 PM
tsb says:
It's more related to the demographics of the kids attending the schools than the teachers themselves. Schools in wealthier areas have better scores because their kids come from more stable families.
2/17/2013 8:14:36 PM
humnchuck says:
Except that it's last year's data that is used. EQAO testing doesn't take place until the end of May.

Nice theory though.
2/17/2013 9:14:41 PM
fan says:
Yes, all data, EQAO and Fraser Institute, is last year's data but, EQAO data is based on 3 or 4 days of testing based solely on the Ontario curriculum, thus an indicator of how well students respond to academic questions. The Fraser Institute data however, integrates academic data to a range of socio-economic factors validating tbs's theory-which, btw is validated by credible research....moving it beyond a "nice theory" to measurable fact.
2/17/2013 10:41:05 PM
gopher88 says:
When did Current River Area become a wealthy area? In case you are unaware that is we're St. Paul is. Holy Cross is located in the Sherwood Estates area and Cherry Ridge yet it is a lot lower on the list. 567 compared to St. Paul at 142. Just wondering if your theory is flawed?
2/17/2013 11:04:23 PM
fan says:
re:gopher88
Good point. And, undoubtedly no theory is indisputable. However, it seems there's an assumption that rich equals smart as evidenced in higher scores. Often there is a link between financially secure and well-educated parents to good school performance. But, schools that address student learning using strategies relevant to the learners do very well. Another highly significant factor in enhances performance is parent involvement - reading to kids, participating in school activities, and so forth.
2/18/2013 8:51:38 AM
appalled says:
Actually the Fraser Institute website lists the parent's average income for St Paul as $80900, so I guess Current River is a wealthy area. Go figure. But obviously family income is only one facet. McKellar Park family income is $37600 and 43.5% of the students have special needs, while Norwesterview family income is $100300 and only 24.1% of students have special needs
2/18/2013 12:25:57 PM
humnchuck says:
The theory is gopher's claim about it being abouty "happy teachers" and the current labour situation, fan.
2/17/2013 11:39:00 PM
hagar says:
Murillo in the west ???? Sounds as if this man flunked Geography or do they chose to study only certain school districts. The Fraser Institute report card is hardly the "go to source of academic achievement" as the "Fraser Institute of director of performance studies" suggests. Check out the background of this Institute before you take its findings too seriously.
2/17/2013 6:57:56 PM
fan says:
Our current Governor General was head of the Fraser Institute before being named G.G. This man is widely regarded for his personal contributions to research and education. The extensive data, both statistical and anecdotal, used by the Fraser Institute is gathered over a few years ensuring it provides in-depth a quality overview. And, even though the reports are lengthy and require some background knowledge for understanding, they are extremely informative.
2/18/2013 9:00:25 AM
The Badger Mountain Hermit says:
Misleading article. Doesn't really indicate the ones that went downhill.
2/18/2013 10:56:26 AM
Hey_Buddy says:
Gopher88: When do you really ever hear about crime in Current River? It might not be deemed a "wealthy area", but it's certainly one of the most stable areas in this city!!! I'm never afraid here.
2/18/2013 11:01:30 AM
Dan dan says:
I find that funny, because I always roll up the windows and lock the doors when driving through Current River, lest the hillbillies get me! Look at how fast the cars go on Hodder; I'm clearly not the only one.
2/18/2013 1:57:50 PM
advocate says:
Work to rule means you follow the contract strictly and do nothing more.

Clearly, the idea of TEACH OUR KIDS is not in the contract.
2/18/2013 11:13:14 AM
tsb says:
Kind of curious as to why we publish this in the first place. It isn't like parents have much choice. Schools are designated to various zones in the city. It you live in Algonquin's zone, your kids are going to be sent to Algonquin whether you want them to or not. And after that, they're going to be going to Hammarskjold, whether you want them to or not...
2/18/2013 12:23:10 PM
appalled says:
Not true, it only means they will be bussed to the school in their zone. My son goes to Churchill even though we are zoned for Westgate. My friend's kids went to Mckellar park even though they were zoned for Edgewater, due to babysitting issues
2/18/2013 4:18:33 PM
Watchmaker says:
Way too much is read into standardized tests. All this means is that some religious based schools are better at preparing the students for the test. The tests themselves are not a very good measure of student success, how well they have assimilated knowledge or how productive they will become. The tests are, however an excellent marketing ploy to get more students into classrooms where religious dogma is part of the curriculum...

If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its entire life believing it is stupid.
Albert Einstein
2/18/2013 12:41:05 PM
Thor Odinson says:
The Catholic high schools also have some interesting discrepencies regarding the OSSLT. I wouldn't be surprised to find some at the elementary level, too. They love squawking about how they teach to the test as a way to justify their existence.
2/18/2013 8:14:31 PM
duhhhd says:
Well their marketing ploy is working!!! I dont know why there are so many critics in regards to the catholic schools. Leave your own fears at home......no part of the religion that is taught in the catholic schools is going to harm any child! It gives them something else to think about and a choice to make when they are ready to. If you don't believe in religion good enough, but truly is it hurting any of these kids to have it as a part of their learning curriculum?
2/19/2013 10:05:27 AM
lori says:
Like the unemployment rate, the tests offer a measurement. It is not perfect, but it does provide some guideance as to who is being effective. Implying that catholic teachers better prepare their students as the reason for this is laughable. Some cigarette smokers live long lives. Some people who don't wear seatbelts live in accidents that they should die in, and some schools with poor students will still score well but by and large it would be interestin0g to see the economic levels of the various schools, the family make-up, single parents or two parents, and other social factors of the students in our local schools. It is not unreasonable to suspect that social issues play a role in a young childs chances for success. To deny this possiblity seems very naive. Give each child the same chance at a prosperous life and the overwhelming majority will succeed. that should be our goal.
2/18/2013 8:21:50 PM
MD says:
The psychometric properties behind standardized tests is made to account for factors such as "economic levels of the various schools, the family make-up, single parents or two parents, and other social factors of the students in our local schools" that’s what makes the test standardized. The test is organized to eliminate biases. Standardized testing not only takes those factors into consideration it creates the test questions around those factors.
2/19/2013 1:42:08 PM
tnsaf says:
The psychometric properties behind standardized tests reflect a cultural and economic bias. Research has established this reality time and time again however, those who live life quantifying learning find it hard to accept this reality. As a starting point, ask yourself how standardized tests are administered; and the answer is, they are administered by an individual who "directs" the test takers (assuming all test takers can understand the verbal instructions) to answer questions from a sheet of paper (again, many assumptions); then, that individual "monitors" (note, does not assist - is allowed to answer questions) until the test is complete;
The central assumption is that all test takers can handle multiple verbal instructions, follow through, and work independently.

2/19/2013 9:31:01 PM
MD says:
You can't assist anyone because that eliminates the standardization, that one person would have an advantage. Here’s a test I would like you to read about and maybe you'll learn something about what a standardized test is - Raven's Progressive Matrices. No verbal or written instructors, no cultural questions, no economic relevance. Any person no matter what language, culture, economy, or solar system can do this test with no bias. People that disagree with standardized tests are often the ones who do poorly on them and thus discredit them because they believe that it doesn’t truly offer a reflection of their ability but research has proven this time and time again that it does. Why would universities, high schools, employers use standardized test to aid decisions if they don’t work. The reality is understanding how a test becomes standardized isn't a easy topic for some people to accept.
2/20/2013 10:38:42 AM
Tim H. says:
Does anyone else see the hypocrisy of the people who are so quick to discount the results of this and so many other test that consistently prove that the Catholic School System out performs the public one?

They are quick to blame unstable home environments, or pretend that somehow being envious of those who earn more money is a valid excuse for their shortcomings?

Did it ever occur to you that maybe the reason these students repeatedly out perform their non-secular counterparts is because of the environment they learn in is better? Did any of you pause to think maybe their home environments are so much better because of the Catholic teachings that their familys tend to share?

How about stop making excuses for the poor results of public schools and stop trying to tear down the reality which clearly shows Catholic schools are better? Stop blaming everything on someone else and begin to take responsibility for your own choices in life.

Catholic teachings produce good students
2/19/2013 2:59:21 PM
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