Declining scores across the board

By Chad Ingram

Published Sept. 29 2016

The latest round of results from the province’s Education Quality and Accountability Office show declining academic performance within the Trillium Lakelands District School Board including at the schools of Haliburton County.

The results show combined achievement grouped by year the latest round showing results for 2014-16 compared to the previous round of 2013-15.

It should be noted EQAO testing was not performed in 2015 due to job action that was taking place with teachers’ unions at the time.

The latest round of results includes testing that was done in the spring.

Scores across the school board in reading writing and mathematics are generally down.

For Grade 3 students 69 per cent were at or above the provincial average in reading versus 71 per cent from the 2013-15 round of results.

When it comes to writing 69 per cent were at or above the average versus 76 per cent last time and in mathematics 63 per cent were at or above the average down from 68 per cent.

That trend continued at Minden’s Archie Stouffer Elementary School where 86 per cent of Grade 3 students were at or above the provincial average in reading for the 2014-16 period down from 87 per cent for the 2013-15 period.

The drop in writing scores was more pronounced with 83 per cent of students at or above the provincial average versus 91 per cent from the previous round. In mathematics 79 per cent were at or above the provincial average down from 81 per cent.

At Stuart Baker Elementary School in Haliburton 61 per cent of Grade 3 students were at or above the provincial average in reading down from 73 per cent. Fifty-nine per cent were at or above the average in writing down from 82 per cent and 69 per cent were at or above the average in math down from 77 per cent.

At Cardiff Elementary School 48 per cent of Grade 3 students were at or above the provincial average for reading down from 57. Sixty-two per cent were at or above average in writing down from 83 and 33 per cent made the grade in math down from 65 per cent.

Throughout the board as a whole achievement for Grade 6 students in reading and writing held steady with 77 per cent at or above the provincial average in reading and 71 per cent at or above average in writing.

These were the same figures as the previous round.

However results in math were down with 44 per cent of Grade 6 students at or above the provincial average a drop from 51 per cent.

At ASES Grade 6 results were up in reading and writing. Ninety-four per cent of students were at or above the average in reading – up from 85 per cent – and 93 per cent were at or above average versus 79 per cent in the last round.

However math scores were down with 60 per cent of students at or above average versus 68 per cent last time.

At Haliburton’s J. Douglas Hodgson Elementary School 72 per cent of Grade 6 students were at or above the average in reading versus 78 per cent in the previous round of results. Sixty-eight per cent were at or above average in writing versus 74 per cent while in mathematics 43 per cent were at or above average up from 40.

At Wilberforce Elementary School 62 per cent of Grade 6 students were at or above the average in reading an improvement from 60 per cent last round.

However results in reading were down from 57 per cent to 46 per cent at or above the provincial average.

Results in mathematics held steady with 27 per cent of students at or above the average performance.

At the secondary level student achievement across the board was up slightly with 56 per cent of Grade 9 applied math students meeting or exceeding the provincial average up from 55 per cent.

Eighty-nine per cent of Grade 9 academic mathematics students met or surpassed the average versus 86 per cent in the previous round of results.

At Haliburton Highlands Secondary School 53 per cent of Grade 9 applied math students were at or above average up from 50 per cent as were 86 per cent of academic math students down from 88 per cent.

In a media release the chairwoman of the Trillium Lakelands District School Board said the board is disappointed in the showing.

“While we are disappointed in the recent results we are confident that our senior administrators our principals and our school staff will review and plan the best way forward from here” said Louise Clodd.

“Although these are not the results we expected we are confident we can turn things around” said Andrea Gillespie the board’s superintendent of learning.  “As a system we know how to monitor and improve student achievement. Our staff at the school and the system level will continue to do everything possible to provide the best opportunities for all our students to succeed and improve.”

According to a release from the board “school and system leaders are reviewing all of the data to determine next steps which will include strengthening the collaboration with and between teaching staff consultants and administrators.

“The school board is committed to identifying areas of greatest need which will become the content for continued professional learning. Multi-department teams will continue to work together with schools to offer job-embedded learning including supports for students with special needs.”

There are 47 schools in the Trillium Lakelands District School Board.