In face of low test scores, public board focused on improvement

While Algoma District School Board Gr. 3 and Gr. 6 students scored lower in reading, writing and math compared to the provincial average in Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) testing in the 2022-23 school year, there is a bright side in that ADSB Gr. 3 students narrowed the gap in 2023-24 testing while provincial numbers fell. 

The EQAO numbers were presented at the ADSB’s most recent board meeting.

Gr. 9 math scores were below the provincial average in 2022-23 and 2023-24 but Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) results for ADSB improved.

“We recognize that EQAO is one measure of achievement used across the province. As a Board, we review the results and explore them to understand what practices are proving effective and what can be leveraged and built upon for the coming school year,” wrote Marcy Bell, ADSB superintendent of education in an email to SooToday.

“Every ADSB teacher, Kindergarten to Grade 12, has their own Classroom Improvement Plan in which they are articulating what they’re going to implement to impact learning, and what adjustments they plan to make in their classrooms and with their learners,” Bell wrote.

ADSB held a Professional Development Day Sept. 27 in which teachers spoke of their Classroom Improvement Plans, reviewed data and continued training with tools to support math and reading.

“Principals are our lead learners and are encouraging the development of mathematics classrooms that foster students’ confidence, where it’s okay to make mistakes, where students are talking about their math thinking and where teachers are ‘keeping numbers alive’. Our teachers are using assessment practices to ‘know their learners’ and to better understand student misconceptions around math and then planning and facilitating intentional instruction/targeted intervention that is responsive to student needs,” Bell wrote.

Bell told SooToday that ADSB is using several board endorsed tools that are used for Literacy and Numeracy instruction and assessment. Heggerty, UFLI Foundations, the Phonics Companion, Decodeable Books, MathUp and Knowledgehook are among those tools.

Math is a challenge for students in many school boards.

As reported earlier, some students in Grades 3 and 6 classes in 11 Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board elementary schools will soon receive help in improving their math skills.

“Multiple steps are being taken to support students in math at the priority schools. A Math Facilitator visits each school once a week to assist with math periods. The model used is a small group intervention approach, where students work together in smaller groups to problem-solve,” H-SCDSB Superintendent Joe Chilelli told SooToday.