While many local elementary school students remain below Ontario’s standard in mathematics, the trend appears to be province-wide.
The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) has released its latest assessment results for the 2024-2025 school year, after the Ministry of Education delayed them by more than a month.
According to the results, 58 per cent of Grade 3 students in the Lambton Kent District School Board (LKDSB) are meeting the provincial standard when it comes to math (54 per cent in 2023-2024). Comparatively, 67 per cent of Grade 3 students at the St. Clair Catholic District School Board (SCCDSB) are meeting the math standard (66 per cent in 2022-2023).
Those numbers decline for students in Grade 6, with only 41 per cent meeting the math standard at LKDSB and 46 per cent at SCCDSB. The results for both schools declined by one percentage point in this category compared to 2023-2024.
Many local Grade 9 students are also failing to meet Ontario’s math standards, with only 44 per cent at LKDSB making the grade (unchanged from 2023-2024), and 57 per cent at SCCDSB (50 per cent in 2022-2023).
Provincewide, the results show that half of Ontario’s Grade 6 students and 42 per cent of Grade 9 students are not meeting the provincial standard in math.
As for reading, 70 per cent of Grade 3 students and 79 per cent of Grade 6 students at LKDSB are meeting the province’s standards, while 77 per cent of Grade 3 students and 85 per cent of Grade 6 students are meeting the standards at SCCDSB.
When it comes to writing, the results showed that 55 per cent of LKDSB Grade 3 students are meeting the standard, along with 77 per cent of students in Grade 6. At the SCCDSB, 65 per cent of Grade 3 students and 84 per cent of Grade 6 students are also in line with the province.
In response to this round of EQAO results, Ontario Education Minister Paul Calandra has announced that he will be appointing a new advisory body to review the province’s approach to standardized testing. These advisors will be tasked with providing clear, practical steps to better support teachers, parents and students.
