TORONTO - Children who fail to achieve the provincial standard in testing have the Ontario government's full attention, newly sworn-in Education Minister Liz Sandals says.
A Fraser Institute Report Card on Ontario's Elementary Schools, as reported by QMI Agency, concluded that about 28% of the province's schools need more attention as they return results below provincial standards.
Sandals said in a statement that the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) tests are not meant to be used to rank schools, but rather as a tool for examining individual, board and provincial data.
"In Ontario, 70% of students are now achieving the provincial standard in Grades 3 and 6 combined, up sixteen percentage points compared to 2002-03," Sandals said. "The Ministry of Education continues to work in partnership with all school boards to raise achievement results overall and close gaps for groups of students who are not achieving the provincial standard."
