EQAO scores slip at schools in Waterloo Region

A student is seen completing a math assignment in this undated file image.

Several important test scores have slipped at schools across Waterloo Region.

The results for the annual Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) tests were released on Thursday.

Students with the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) and Waterloo Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) are falling behind the provincial standard in several areas.

Grade 3 reading, writing and mathematics assessment

Provincially, 61 per cent of Grade 3 students tested during the 2023/2024 school year met or exceeded the standard for mathematics.

Within the WRDSB, only 58 per cent of students met the standard, a decrease of one per cent compared to the year before.

Meanwhile, the Catholic board saw a slight increase, raising from 62 per cent to 64 per cent.

Both boards reported falling reading scores among Grade 3 students, with 68 per cent of WRDSB students meeting the standard and 73 per cent of WCDSB students making the grade.

Despite a two per cent slip in reading scores at the WCDSB, students there still surpassed the provincial score, where only 71 per cent of students successfully met the standard.

Writing proved to be the biggest challenge for local Grade 3 students, with 60 per cent of WRDSB students and 63 per cent of WCDSB students on par with or meeting the provincial benchmark. The trend carried over to the provincial average, where 64 per cent of students hit the goal.

 

Students meeting or exceeding the provincial standard

• WRDSB mathematics: 58 per cent (previously 59 per cent)
• WRDSB reading: 68 per cent (previously 73 per cent)
• WRDSB writing: 60 per cent (previously 65 per cent)

• WCDSB mathematics: 64 per cent (previously 62 per cent)
• WCDSB reading: 73 per cent (previously 75 per cent)
• WCDSB writing: 63 per cent (previously 66 per cent)

• Province-wide mathematics: 61 per cent (previously 60 per cent)
• Province-wide reading: 71 per cent (previously 73 per cent)
• Province-wide writing: 64 per cent (previously 65 per cent)

Grade 6 reading, writing and mathematics assessment

Grade 6 students in Waterloo Region fared better than their younger counterparts, but scores in almost all areas fell slightly from the year before.

When it comes to mathematics, only half the students across the province met or exceeded the started, compared to 52 percent of WRDSB students and 53 per cent of WCDSB students.

Reading and writing scores were stronger throughout the province with 82 per cent of students making the standard in reading and 80 per cent hitting the mark in writing.

For WRDSB students, 82 per cent of students met the standard for reading and 81 per cent reached the goal for writing.

In the local Catholic board, 81 per cent of students were successful in their reading assessments while 79 per cent met or exceeded the standard for writing. The Catholic board’s success rate for writing slipped six per cent from the year before.

 

Students meeting or exceeding the provincial standard:

• WRDSB mathematics: 52 per cent (previously 51 per cent)
• WRDSB reading: 82 per cent (previously 84 per cent)
• WRDSB writing: 81 per cent (previously 85 per cent)

• WCDSB mathematics: 53 per cent (previously 54 per cent)
• WCDSB reading: 81 per cent (previously 84 per cent)
• WCDSB writing: 79 per cent (previously 85 per cent)

• Province-wide mathematics: 50 per cent (previously 50 per cent)
• Province-wide reading: 82 per cent (previously 84 per cent)
• Province-wide writing: 80 per cent (previously 84 per cent)

Grade 9 mathematics

Grade 9 mathematics testing scores stayed consistent with last year’s results in both Waterloo Region boards. Locally, 52 per cent of public board students and 55 per cent of Catholic board students met or exceeded the standard.

Province-wide, 54 per cent of students made the grade.

 

Students meeting or exceeding the provincial standard:

• WRDSB mathematics: 52 per cent (previously 52 per cent)
• WCDSB mathematics: 55 per cent (previously 55 per cent)
• Provide-wide mathematics: 54 per cent (previously 54 per cent)

Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT)

Local Grade 10 students taking the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test performed largely on par with provincial results.

According to the EQAO results, 85 per cent of WRDSB students met the standard alongside 86 per cent of their peers in the Catholic board. Province-wide, 85 per cent of students met the standard.

 

Students meeting or exceeding the provincial standard:

• WRDSB OSSLT: 85 per cent (previously 85 per cent)
• WCDSB OSSLT: 86 per cent (previously 83 per cent)
• Provide-wide OSSLT: 85 per cent (previously 85 per cent)