BY CHRIS SIMON

Local school boards seem pleased with the results from the latest round of standardized provincial testing.

On Wednesday, the Education Quality and Accountability Office released board and school results on three of its provincial tests ‹ the two elementary school assessments of reading, writing and math administered in grades 3 and 6, and the secondary school assessment of mathematics that is conducted in Grade 9.

And representatives from both the Simcoe County and Simcoe Muskoka Catholic district school boards are noting there have been several areas of improvement within their jurisdictions, over the last few years.

"Our major focus as a school board is on student achievement and wellbeing,” said Debra Edwards, chair of the SCDSB. “The EQAO results for 2011 tell us that we are making progress, particularly in literacy. As always, our staff will analyze the data to adjust our educational strategies to keep us headed in the right direction on behalf of the students we serve.”

Specifically, the percentage of SCDSB students at or above the provincial Grade 3 reading and writing standard has increased by nine and 15 per cent respectively, over the past five years, said Edwards.

However, board students have also made gains in other categories. The percentage of Grade 6 students meeting provincial reading and writing standards has increased by 12 and 14 per cent respectively, over the last five years. In Grade 9 mathematics, the percentage of SCDSB students at or above the standard rose from 67 to 81 per cent in the academic course over the lastfive years, and from 40 to 44 per cent in applied.

“Our results are positive for primary reading and writing as we deepen our systemwide focus on early intervention which supports students in developing foundational literacy skills. We will continue to implement research-based and highyield strategies in Kindergarten to Grade 12 to meet the goals set out in our Board Improvement Plan for Student Achievement and Wellbeing to reach every student.”

More Catholic board students are also meeting provincial standards, compared to when the first testing was introduced in 2003.

The overall results show achievement above or equal to the provincial average in Grade 3 writing and mathematics. Students also test above the provincial average in Grade 6 reading, writing and mathematics.

“It is excellent that we see improvements in our EQAO results every year; the whole point of the testing is to see improvement over time and that is exactly what is happening at our board," said SMCDSB director Brian Beal. "The efforts of our students, staff and parents are making a significant difference and we can see that our literacy and numeracy strategies are working."

The results for the Catholic board's Grade 9 academic mathematics also improved significantly, with 75 per cent of student meeting or exceeding standards in 2011, compared to 71 per cent in 2010.

"At our board, a very high percentage of students take the test, including those who have special needs," said Beal. "This speaks to our board's efforts to make sure every student is included in the learning process. We continue to show our ability to adapt, grow and improve teaching and learning strategies for all of our students. We know there is always more work to do and we will use these EQAO results to develop new approaches and strategies for learning."

For more information, including individual school results, visit www.eqao.com.