THUNDER BAY -- New data released by Ontario's Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) shows Lakehead District Public School board students performing below the rest of the province in primary and junior-division reading, writing and mathematics.
Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board students are generally doing better than the Ontario average, but the evidence points to challenges in Grade 6 math.
The EQAO on Wednesday issued its report on the 2016-2017 provincial assessments for each publicly-funded school and school board in the province.
It shows that achievement in mathematics is particularly low for Lakehead public schools.
Only 39 per cent of Grade 6 students met or surpassed the provincial math standard (Levels 3 and 4) last year, compared with 50 per cent for the province. Nonetheless, it was an improvement from the Lakehead board's 36 per cent in the previous year
In Grade 3, 50 per cent of Lakehead public students achieved the provincial standard, compared with 62 per cent for the province.
The following is a summary of the data for both Thunder Bay school boards.
Lakehead District School Board Students At or Above Provincial Standard
- Grade 3 math - 50 per cent (Ontario 62 per cent)
- Grade 3 reading - 68 per cent (Ontario 74 per cent)
- Grade 3 writing - 64 per cent (Ontario 73 per cent)
- Grade 6 math - 39 per cent (Ontario 50 per cent)
- Grade 6 reading - 71 per cent (Ontario 81 per cent)
- Grade 6 writing - 71 per cent (Ontario 79 per cent)
Mathematics took a sharp downturn last year for Thunder Bay Catholic Grade 6 students, as only 48 per cent of students achieved the provincial standard, a drop of 11 per cent from the previous year.
Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board Students At or Above Provincial Standard
- Grade 3 math - 64 per cent (Ontario 62 per cent)
- Grade 3 reading - 80 per cent (Ontario 74 per cent)
- Grade 3 writing - 77 per cent (Ontario 73 per cent)
- Grade 6 math - 48 per cent (Ontario 50 per cent)
- Grade 6 reading - 82 per cent (Ontario 81 per cent)
- Grade 6 writing - 77 per cent (Ontario 79 per cent)
The EQAO is an independent agency that creates and administers assessments of Ontario student achievement.
In a statement that accompanied the release of the new data, EQAO chair Dave Cooke said it provides "a reliable and valuable snapshot of what's happening in our classrooms. School trustees are responsible for improvements in student achievement, and EQAO data can both help inform improvement plans and foster accountability."