Reading and writing scores are up, but both locally and provincially, most elementary students’ math skills are going in the opposite direction.
That’s one of the most noticeable trends in the results of Waterloo Region students on EQAO standardized tests.
Results for the 2013-14 tests were released Wednesday.
Grade 3 students with the Waterloo Region District School Board tested better in all three subjects – including in math, where 60 per cent of students met or exceeded provincial targets.
That ended an ongoing slide dating back to at least 2010.
At the Grade 6 level, WRDSB students again set recent highs in reading (77 per cent meeting or exceeding provincial standards) and writing (74 per cent).
However, math skills continued to trend downward, with the percentage of students meeting or exceeding the target dropping from 53 per cent to 49 per cent.
At the Waterloo Catholic District School Board, 53 per cent of Grade 6 students met or exceeded the target in math – down from 54 per cent last year.
Reading and writing results were up slightly.
Grade 3 students in the WCDSB saw no change to their results in reading and math, and a three per cent increase in scores on the writing test, lifting their levels above the provincial average – the only subject at either board where students beat Ontario-wide averages.
