Online Q&A: EQAO tests

Thanks for joining today's education forum on standardized testing with Charles Pascal, the new chair of the EQAO and a former deputy minister of education.

Our next topic is preschool education. Does your preschooler need to go to preschool? Is Montessori the best way to go? What other options are out there? Questions about day care? Professor Theresa Steger of Ryerson University's Early Childhood Education program will answer your questions.

If you have any ideas for future forums or possible experts, please e-mail education editor Kristin Rushowy at krushowy@thestar.ca.

Standardized testing Q&A

Q: My son completed the EQAO test and I paid $50 for it, but unfortunately his school closed down, and I never got his exam results. Can you help me, in getting his test results? Please and thank you.

A: The mention of a fee suggests this is a private school situation. In a cases where a school is closed, and records are unavailable, the parent can contact EQAO at 416-314-0146 or 1-888-327-7377 for information about how assessment results can be accessed.

Q: Scores went up this year, but isn't that because the Liberals made the tests shorter and easier?

A: EQAO is an independent agency and is in no way influenced by the agenda of the government of the day. Recently, EQAO initiated a comprehensive review of its assessment programs to ensure that current international standards of large-scale assessment are being met. The review included input from stakeholders, a jurisdictional review of best practices in large-scale assessment and a major review of EQAO assessment practices by the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto who worked with a team of internationally recognized large-scale assessment experts.

The review indicated that to report overall scores for reading, writing and mathematics, the test could be shorter and remain comparable to previous years. The assessments continue to measure the same knowledge and skills as they did previously.

Q: I have reviewed the recent results for my son's school. They appear to be better than previous years and better than the board and province. How can I tell if the results are due to the teachers teaching the test or if the teachers are using techniques that improve the students' critical thinking skills? Thank you.

A: It is difficult for teachers to teach to the test because the questions are developed to cover the full range of expectations from the Ontario curriculum, and the actual content changes from one year to the next. If teachers teach according to the curriculum expectations, this is a good thing.

Q: What measures are there to prevent school principals and teachers from tampering with the test results? How can some schools have almost everyone getting near perfect scores? If results can be raked easily, then the test is not a reliable measurement of performance of schools.

A: Several measures are in place to ensure that the assessments are administered in the same way across the province. For example, administration guides are provided that teachers are to follow, and quality control monitors visit a sample of schools to observe and report on administration procedures. Our monitors report to us that the assessments are administered in a consistent way across the province. Once scoring of student responses has been completed and the data analyzed, EQAO develops student, school, school board and provincial reports.

Q: Why do children only write the tests in Grade 3 and 6? Why those grades?

A: The assessments are positioned at the end of Grade 3 and Grade 6 because these are key stages in child’s journey through school and are significant developmental transitions points in elementary education. The completion of the primary grades (1, 2 and 3) and the completion of the junior grade division (4, 5 and 6).

Q: Should all children write the EQAO? My oldest son wrote the test two years ago. He was so nervous before it started, even though he does very well at school. My concern is for my younger son. I know how nervous his brother was. I am afraid that the test will be very hard, and discouraging for my son. He is doing very poorly in Grade 3, and is already getting discouraged at school. I am afraid the test will put too much pressure on a child that is already struggling.

A: It is very important for all children to participate in the provincial assessment as it is a very natural component of school and life. The assessment design is tailored to the developmental needs of children in Grades 3 and 6. In order to assist teachers and parents prepare children for the spring assessment, please refer to the EQAO website for resource materials. Most importantly, parents and school staff can prepare children by discussing the assessment as simply one more part of school life, just like the Friday afternoon spelling test.

Q: I don't get the levels. Why can't students be given normal marks, like a letter grade or percent?

A: Teachers across the province of Ontario use the achievement levels from the provincial curriculum in order to assess student work. The levels provide a description of achievement on a developmental continuum from 1 to 4. Level 3 describes the characteristics of student achievement that represent the expected level of achievement or the provincial standard.

The four levels of achievement are defined in the Ontario Curriculum as follows:

Level 4: The student has demonstrated the required knowledge and skills. Achievement surpasses the provincial standard.

Level 3: The student has demonstrated most of the required knowledge and skills. Achievement is at the provincial standard.

Level 2: The student has demonstrated some of the required knowledge and skills. Achievement approaches the provincial standard.

Level 1: The student has demonstrated some of the required knowledge and skills in limited ways. Achievement falls much below the provincial standard.

Q: I would like to know if there is a plan in place to expand the standardized tests to cover core subjects at the Grade 12 level, similiar to that of SAT I and SAT II in the USA? I always doubt that high schools in Ontario are able to give same marks to same academic performance of different students across Ontario. Tests conducted by your office confirmed that not all schools have students' performance at the same level academically.

I would suggest that the Grade 12 students marks provided by individual high school are, in cases, misleading on students' actual performance compared with other students in other schools. This situation poses an unfavourable impact on potential employers and post-secondary educational institutes as they try to find the person with the appropriate academic achievement.

A: Although you raise some interesting points, there is currently no plan to expand the provincial assessment program to include Grade 12 exit exams.

Q: I have three children in elementary school in the Niagara Region, the eldest was in Grade 3 last year. I can tell you from experience that the teaching requirements and the EQAO test, in my opinion, are far beyond what should be expected from 8- and 9-year-old children. In fact, I wasn't taught some of the math topics covered by those Grade 3 students until high school, and really didn't grasp the underlying concepts until second year of university! Not to mention that some of the topics were covered in a very, very short period of time.

A: It’s important to understand that EQAO’s role is to measure student achievement against the Ontario curriculum expectations. EQAO does not define the curriculum, nor set the provincial standard. EQAO tests are constructed with questions that relate directly to the expectations of the Ontario curriculum. T

The results released last week measured student achievement of the mathematics curriculum that was in place in 2004-2005. The curriculum has been revised for the 2005-2006 school year. EQAO will be developing this year’s assessment against this new curriculum.

Q: We are told not to compare our neighbourhood school's ranking to that of other schools but, I'm sorry, it's impossible not to. Both of my sons attended our neighbourhood school, Oakwood Collegiate, for all or part of their high school education. I was a teacher, and I paid attention to their education. I felt that both were held to high standards in most subjects and were well-prepared for post-secondary studies. (One successfully graduated from university; the other is in 2nd year.) I was therefore shocked when I saw that Oakwood's ranking in Grade 9 math was among the lowest in the city. So what is going on there? Is Oakwood changing? If so, why? Or has it always been a school with diverse abilities?

As one looks at other schools with low rankings, it does appear to me that socio-economic level and cultural diversity are factors. Oakwood is located in an area of diverse economic levels, and it is culturally diverse. Does this test have any meaning? If it does, it seems to me that the board should be directing more resources to schools where a significant number of students seem to be having more difficulty.

A: You’ve touched upon the very reasons it’s impossible to compare one school’s results against another’s. The factors you mention certainly influence a school’s overall results, at every level. Each school operates in its own context and has its own particular set of challenges. School comparisons are not what EQAO results are about, which is why we strongly discourage any kind of ranking based on EQAO results.

The purpose of EQAO results is to provide a snapshot of student learning against expectations in the Ontario Curriculum. Although EQAO results provide important and timely information on student learning, it should be remembered that they are only one piece of data within the entire portfolio of information a school and boards collect on their students. When used effectively, these data help educators target areas for improvement and help define teaching strategies and learning objectives to enhance student achievement. As you stated at the end of your comment, using all of these rich sources of data helps schools, boards and the province target initiatives in elementary and secondary schools.

Q: If a child receives a certain mark on the test, does that put them in a level or are the marks put on a bell curve, e.g. the bottom ?% have not met the standard?

A: There is no bell curve system used in EQAO provincial tests. The overall level earned by each child is based directly on his or her own achievement on the test. To be specific, each child receives an individual score on each question answered. These scores are then combined to produce a score in each of reading, writing and mathematics. These resulting scores are aligned to the four "levels of achievement" as outlined in the Ontario curriculum.

Q: I was wondering how these tests are marked?

A: Ontario teachers score the Grade 3, 6 and 9 assessments over a two-week period in July. Teachers are trained using scoring guides and samples of students’ work for each question that they will be responsible to score. Following training, teachers must pass a qualifying test. Groups of teachers are then assigned a specific set of questions that they will score for every student. This ensures consistency in scoring and the reliability and validity of the results.

Online Q&A: Help with Homework

Today's forum on homework is now over, featuring expert Linda Cameron, a professor at the University of Toronto's Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, and an expert in homework and schooling issues.

The top 10 homework tips from longtime teachers Janice Harper and Lynn Morrison, authors of Homework is for Kids, not Parents:

1. Create a positive work environment. Together choose a quiet place that is well lit and free from distractions. A desk or table also helps concentration.

2. Keep all supplies nearby. Arrange tools in a caddy, basket or drawer. After each interruption to search for supplies, it takes a child 2 to 3 minutes to regain focus.

3. Arrange a fixed, nightly homework time. Treat it as you would an appointment. Most school boards recommend increments of 10 minutes per grade. Ensure that your child uses all of the scheduled time for homework or other academic pursuits; consequently, there is no advantage to rushing through work or forgetting it at school.

4. Encourage your child to work independently. Completing assignments by themselves helps children to become confident, responsible and independent adults key factors in their success inside and outside of school.

5. Teach by example. Turning off the TV and reading a book, balancing your chequebook or writing a shopping list, all demonstrate to your child that what they are practicing today are related to skills that they will need as adults tomorrow.

6. Be available. Sometimes an encouraging word is all that is needed. Other times, when frustration creeps in, ask your child to explain what the question asks. Listening to the details can help determine the point of confusion. Asking questions like “How do you know…?” or “What have you tried so far?” encourage children to participate in the problem solving.

7. Praise your child. Positive comments motivate. Don’t wait for the day when everything runs smoothly and test scores are high. Praise works best when given daily and immediately.

8. Use a homework planner. Children more easily complete and return homework with this aid. If your child consistently forgets homework at school, arrange for the teacher to initial the planner to confirm that all assignments are recorded.

9. Be patient. If your meet with resistance from your child, do not argue back. Soon the focus shifts to something completely unrelated. Instead maintain a consistent homework routine. When conflict occurs, listen to your child’s feelings and concerns. Express how you feel and together list possible solutions. Agree on one of the solutions. When children feel that their opinion matters and are invited to help find solutions to these problems, they are more likely to make these solutions work.

10. Contact the teacher if homework problems persist. A good teacher wants to know when there is a problem. Both teachers and parents share a desire for the children to learn and feel successful.

Q: My 10-year-old is spending more time on homework than my 14-year-old. She has three assignments due this week. Both of my children are very involved in sports and it's stressful (for the kids) trying to fit everything in. With the alarming rates of childhood obesity this nation is facing, I wonder about the time children spend on homework. There is a lot of finger-pointing at televisions and computers, but in our house the television is rarely on; there's too much homework to be done.

A: Comments about the stress of homework are far too common. Research has demonstrated clearly that it is one of the most stressful aspect of kid's lives. We do need to be vigilant about keeping the time per day spent on homework to a limit ... check the guidelines below.

One problem often is that kids do not plan ahead for assignments so they get backed up and all of sudden become overextended. Keep a family calendar with all the important activities for everyone on the family included: birthdays, parent meetings, sports activities, professional development days and also include when assignments are due. That way, steps can be taken to make plans for the assignment, parents can plan to be available to facilitate and kids learn how to be organized. Time to develop the whole child is critical. They need time for exercise for sure.

Q: My children have finished grade school, thank God. Homework is no longer the major stress in our lives. I do not bring work home from the office, so why are children expected to spend their evenings pouring over school work? Home time should be family time. Everyone I know with children says that the biggest stress in their family life is homework. I understand that the school day is mostly wasted with managing unruly children, but surely some time could be found in the day for students to practice what they have learned and not have to bring it home to do. I don't ever remember doing homework in elementary school and when I spoke to my mother about this she said: School time is for school work and when you were at home, it was my time. She never had us do homework. We all managed to get through school. My sons spent at least 2 hours each night doing work that was sent home and many nights it was closer to 4 hours. Too much, too young, let them be chi ldren.

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Q: Could you give me an idea of how much homework children should have per night by age or grade? I think that would be helpful for parents to know.

A: Check the websites of your board of education, where you should find charts and homework policies. In general:

JK-Grade 3: 10-30 minutes per night

Grades 4-6: 30-60 minutes per night

Grades 7-9: 45-90 minutes per night

Grades 10-12: 60-120 minutes per night

Q: Why is the homework issue such a big deal?

A: Doctors and child therapists say that homework issues are the biggest school related cause of stress-connected illness for children. No wonder so many parents are worried. Homework is respected and done when teachers give feedback on it. If it is not looked at and evaluated, kids see little reason in doing it for the sake of doing it. There is little researched correlation between homework and learning for young children and the positive effects on learning increase as kids get older. So the benefits exist only in later grades. That does not mean that young children should not be reading and writing and visiting museums and checking out websites and practicing their times tables at home. Playing school was a great learning experience for my kids ... they thought they were playing but had the tools for learning at elbow to teach what they were learning to their dolls and stuffed toys or any live people they could capture to sit still and listen!

Q: Why do kids get so much homework these days? It doesn't really seem fair, especially when the reality is that many in high school also have to hold down part-time jobs, do community service and they have little time for themselves just to have fun. Is the curriculum in high school too much now so teachers have to force students to do so much outside of class? Or has it always been this way?

A: Kids often get too much homework these days because of the pressures of the curriculum and accountability. They have to "cover" so much so that their test results will be adequate. Things have been offloaded to independent work that used to fit into the day. It is a very, very full curriculum indeed and more is being added constantly. Classroom management is tough as well and sometimes too much time is taken up in class handling the disruptions. There are lots of reasons … not all good I am afraid. Most teachers are doing their best but alas …

Your question is the essence of my heart-felt concern. In some cases, there is too much homework that is not real, meaningful and relevant. Too much is left up to the kids to manage on their own and oftentimes is not given feedback and is not really connected to reality.

Homework should extend and elaborate on what is being learned in school … sometimes reinforcing new learning, sometimes practicing a new skill, sometimes and hopefully often taking them to new questions and ideas and inquiry … sometimes reviewing material that needs reinforcing. But it should never be busy work ... useless and boring. Kids need to understand why they are doing what they are doing.

Yes, the worlds of many teenagers is very complex and too full … but sometimes not always with productive and healthy things. The instance you give is a positive one. The world is very different now with technology grabbing the attention and time too often to excess, the community not as safe to "play" in, and kids preoccupied with too grown up interests ... alas, there are no answers.

Q: What websites are available for homework help?

A: I use Ask Jeeves as one resource; Google is another. Your local public library probably has some online homework help as well, such as the Toronto Public Library or the Burlington Public Library. Also, TVO has a great website where teachers will review your essays and answer your specific homework questions.

Q: My 11-year-old son does not focus on his homework assignments. It is a constant battle to get him to complete an exercise. Work is usually messy and incomplete. What can I do?

A: Sounds like he is an 11-year-old boy … I am wondering how much he thinks that the homework is meaningful and relevant. I am wondering why he is not engaged in it. It might be the dance and not the dancer! Have you met with the teacher? This is beginning to sound like a broken record, but communication is critical. What are his work habits like at school? What strategies might the teacher recommend? Can he do the assignments on a computer? Might there be another reason for the messiness … are his eyes healthy?

Set a time limit for the amount of time he should have to do homework taking into account time to relax, play, hang out with friends, do nothing, play his sports, etc. Check the board of education policy on homework and use it as a guideline. Boys need lots of time to be physically active. Discuss a good time of day to block off for homework, choose the best place for him to do it and provide quality tools for him to use: good pencils, markers, paper, books, resources. Good luck … I am afraid that the problem partially comes with the gender and age.

Q: I recently posted a question regarding reading pressure in Grade 1. My son is, in fact, being pressured to do reading homework ... including such things as learning to spell the words one through ten. He is then being assessed on this skill. My concern is that this is very stressful given that we are only one month into the new school year. My understanding is that this is a Grade 1 expectation but that this expectation needs to be fulfilled by the end of Grade 1. How do I approach the teacher to discuss my concerns? Do you feel I will be making things harder for my child by being a squeaky wheel?

A: Oh I understand the fear of the fallout from confrontation but communication is the best answer here. You are right to feel concern about this for your little guy. These early years of literacy development are fragile but ever so important. Everyone is feeling pressure in this one-size-fits-all world that is dominated by testing and accountability and trying to fit so much into so little time. It’s like we have to teach so much in so little time and then unreasonable expectations are arrived at. I recommend that you set up an appointment to talk with the teacher about your concerns and tell her about the stress your son is feeling. Get to know the teacher so that you feel relaxed communicating with her on an ongoing basis. If you can volunteer, that is often a good strategy for seeing what is going on and learning strategies to help your son in his literacy development.

Q: My daughter is in Grade 1 and comes home with at least 90 minutes of homework every night. I usually cap her off at 60 minutes and I think even this is excessive. I have commented in her daily journal to her teacher about the excessive homework, however she has chosen to not reply. In speaking with other parents of children in her class and parents from previous years, they feel the same way I do but are reluctant to say anything because this teacher has a good reputation and is well-liked by the students. My other daughter is in Grade 2 and does about 15 minutes of homework in the evening, which is reasonable. I know I'm not sending my daughter the right message when I tell her it's okay if we don't finish her homework, but where do I draw the line? What happened to teaching kids at school? Teachers are extremely well paid and frankly I resent having to do a large part of their job after I have just finished a 12 hour shift myself at work.

A: Whoa … your question just sent my blood pressure through the roof!!!! Your concern is really valid and your response to communicate your concern to the teacher is what I would recommend. Try to work this out without being confrontational but rather take the tack of concern for your child and wanting to enrich his or her life with other things like time for play, for dancing or music, for climbing trees (safely of course) or for whatever she fancies. Maybe the teacher does not know that amount of time it takes to complete the work … track that for her. Let the teacher know that you will monitor the time for her and that you will see that your daughter completes at most 20 minutes of homework a day. Check out the guidelines on the board of education’s website and you will find that the recommended homework for this age group is from 10–30 minutes per night. I advocate the lower limit.

You are right, kids need to do school at school and then have time to do the other things at home that interest them. If it is to work on a story that they have started at school that they are just dying to write more on or to read a few more chapters of a book that their nose just can’t keep out of … that is different than assigned obligatory school work. Keep advocating and communicating.

Watch the anger statements. Teachers do work hard and are not overpaid. It sounds like the teacher your daughter has cares about kids … I wonder why she has not responded. Maybe a meeting would work better or an email.

Q: How much "parental assistance" is enough, when your child just does not know what exactly to do (and hopefully the parents do!)?

A: This is a tough question that I have wrestled with as a parent. You can get "sucked in" to the projects and with enthusiasm you find out that you have done much more than support and challenge your young student and probably deserve the grade. It hurts when the grade you get is not as good as you think it should have been!

Seriously however, there is more than one question here. If your child does not understand the homework and it is not clear to you either then send a note or an email to the teacher asking for clarification before second guessing and doing something that makes no sense. (That is assuming that this is a young child who needs an advocate and needs someone to explain to the teacher why the homework was not completed.) Sometimes a quick phone call to another student might help your child figure things out … two heads are often better than one. A guide for how much assistance is enough does not exist. You need to inspire, encourage, help your child find resources, provide honest and constructive feedback, maybe an idea or two…a place to work that is not too distracting….and a time limit. Kids do need to have some sense of how long they need to work on school work and really need free time. Homework should make sense in every way! (Good luck on the next science fair project!)

Q: What do you do if your child doesn't have much homework? Should I make him go over schoolwork at night or let him enjoy the free time?

A: What a wonderful problem to have … no homework! Don’t you savour free time? You might check to see if he indeed does not have homework, sometimes kids deliberately forget homework and spend more intellectual time thinking up excuses about who ate it or what horrific thing happened that prohibited completion. However, free time to explore interesting things, to play, to visit with friends, to read a good book, to play a game, to get some exercise out of doors … to learn is far better for growth and development that completing another math sheet or some other trite busy work. What matters most is that your child is doing something that matters to him, that intrigues him and raises questions and wonderful ideas that will inspire further learning. Take the time to find out what interests him and invest in finding resources that will help him develop knowledge, skills, and abilities that will serve him well through life.

Online Q&A: Gerard Kennedy

Today's online forum featured Ontario Education Minister Gerard Kennedy, who answered your questions on everything from funding for religious schools to mandatory phys ed for elementary students. Thanks for joining us.

Q: Learning about gender/women's issues is an important part of our everyday lives, affecting how we think and act. It is so important to have children understand gender and its implications in our society as it gives us an alternative viewpoint to analyze issues such as development, violence against women, eating disorders, homophobia ... The list is endless ... So why is it that something so fundamental to each individual's development and the development of our society is not taught in our school curriculums?

A: All new curriculum policy documents released as part of the current curriculum review process now contain a section on Antidiscrimination Education. Gender issues may also be highlighted here. For example, the just-revised Grades 9 and 10 mathematics document refers to the fact that some girls may need extra encouragement to see themselves in careers involving mathematics. Gender issues have also been integrated into the curriculum in various areas. For example, the Charter of Rights, as well as the impact of the women's movement in Canada are discussed in the Canadian and World Studies curriculum. Eating disorders are a topic covered in the Health and Physical Education program. In addition, we are working with the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration on a plan to educate and motivate children, aged eight to 14, to put an end to gender stereotyping and perceived inequality between women and men, girls and boys and help them learn social skills for healthy relationships that are free from all forms of violence.

Q: Why are high school students allowed to "earn" so many credits at independent credit mills where the credits and the marks are demonstrably related to the fees paid? These students then go on to occupy spaces in universities and colleges that they are unqualified for, squeeze out other students and create a greater demand than necessary for remediation in these higher institutions where there is greater than necessary cost to taxpayers. Students should be learning to learn and gaining literacy and numeracy skills before they go on to college or university.

A:The ministry is currently investigating the allegations concerning credit mills and will ensure that OSSD credits can only be earned by the same standard across the province.

Q: When is the government going to take the big leap and make physical education compulsory for Grades 9-12? I am amazed at the stats that indicate low levels of activity in kids of this age group. Your government seems to be treating the problem only on the surface. Think of the money spent in the health care system because of poor habits learned early in life.

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Q: Your government has banned junk food in elementary schools which is a great idea. When (if ever) do you plan to do the same for high school students? Almost every high school caf sells fries, and that is what most high school students eat (along with a nice rush of sugar pop). I personally would like to see a ban at the high school level on junk food too.

A: The Daily Physical Activity announcement and the junk food announcement for elementary students are two components of an overall Healthy Schools Initiative that will soon be launched in the secondary panel. We will have more information about that shortly. We are formalizing this initiative and will have opportunities in the near future for parents, educators and students to fully participate in the development of the high school program.

Q: The Rozanski report had a number of recommendations, but all hinged on updating the base funding for teacher salaries. Unless the government does that, all funding for ESL, inner city kids, caretaking, etc. is wasted because it goes to prop up the government's failure to pay the full cost of teacher's salaries. When will you update the board's funding for teacher's salaries?

A: The premise of this question is incorrect because we already pay the full cost of teacher salaries. What we've done, in addition, is put extra funding in the ESL grant, Learning Opportunities Grant, Rural School Grant etc. because we knew those were the areas that boards were borrowing from.

We make the argument that, effectively, the amount of investment recommended by Rozanski has been met and, in some areas, delivered in a different fashion. There is still more work to be done. But the substantial component of the recommendations has been accomplished. We are now going to work with boards to make the work transparent and obvious to all communities across the province. We will publicly disclose what the province funds, how the funding formula has changed and what work is still required.

Q: We have various concerns about split grade classes. Our daughter is in Grade 3 and started the year in a single class of 17 students. On September 30, due to less than anticipated enrollment, my daughter's class became a split Grade 3/4 class of 28 students. My wife and I are not happy about this as there are now 11 grade 4 students in the class ... Also, the concept of split grades is very problematic for us. With all the time constraints put on teachers with our new curriculum, and the addition of new physical activity guidelines, teaching time is already at a premium, yet you are asking a teacher to teach two full grade curriculums in one class. A split grade, in our opinion, means split teacher attention and split time to work effectively on each part of the years curriculum. This is ludicrous. A teacher cannot teach two full grades in one year without sacrificing other valuable teaching resources, such as reading time and art. Many of the teachers in this situation have told us that they would prefer to teach large single grade classes instead of smaller split classes.

Our question to you is this: While you have committed to limiting class size to ensure that each child has more access to the teacher, why have you not committed to eliminating split classes, a process which, once again limits teaching time and teaching effectiveness?

A: What matters most is class size and the composition of classes and we would hope that schools would make some allowance for that. Our goal from JK to Grade 3 is 20 students or less. We believe that reduced class sizes, coupled with giving teachers flexibility in the curriculum, should make it possible to be successful in teaching students at their individual level. The class that is referenced above has two challenges: it is large and it is a split grade class. Smaller class sizes of split grades do not present the same challenges. We are looking at ways that we can support split grades if they become necessary in upper grades. The extra time that teachers have in smaller classes should be sufficient to make successes out of most class-size combinations at the lower level.

Q: I am a secondary school music teacher in York Region, and over the life of the new curriculum, I have seen the level of involvement in the arts diminish significantly.
Students, parents, and even our school's administration, feel it is important for students to complete their high school career in four years. However, this does not provide enough time for highly intelligent and talented students to explore their full abilities. We try to accommodate students, but by grade 10 or 11, students are opting out of the arts in order to take as many math and science courses as possible, even though this closes more doors than it opens.

I want to be able to encourage my students to take an additional year and explore the great opportunities that high school offers: arts, sciences, humanities, co-operative education. My administration tells me they are not permitted to advise students on taking extra time because of funding restrictions. At our school of 1,600 students, we are barely able to run senior-level music and drama classes because of this. What kind of future do the arts courses have in Ontario? What kind of solutions can we start working on now so that our students can succeed in all areas of their interest?

A: Since our first year, the government has encouraged schools and school boards to put increased emphasis on the arts in education. We have permitted boards to plan for 2,000 new specialist teachers - which alongside of physed will account for more music, drama and art teachers. We will be launching our arts education initiative in the next few months. It will allow for the broader arts education community to advise on how to best deliver arts education in school.

Q: This government is again making the school system responsible for failed parenting by adding this EXTRA 20 minutes of structured physical activity every day on top of the students' regular physical education period. How can we add this with all the other recommendations handed down for other curriculum-related subjects?

With my Grade 4 class, I have 300 minutes to instruct a day which would include a reading/writing block, science, math, French and then squeeze in this extra 20 minutes of exercise each day. Oh, and yes I do cross-curricular activities where possible.

A: We see the role of schools as supporting parents' intentions and efforts to activate their kids and help them be involved in physical activities. Our daily 20 of physical activity is appropriate. Parents, in their busy lives, will appreciate that the functions they expect to support their children are happening in schools. Daily physical activity will be incorporated with the regular curriculum and we will be providing teachers and schools with options for timetabling and scheduling.

Q: Will the 20 minutes of daily fitness apply to Grade 7/8 schools? Many schools do not have recess time and the timetable is full. Will there be flexibility or will programs have to be cut to implement this program? I see such schools being closer to a high school setting than elementary.

A: Yes. The requirement for 20 minutes of daily physical activity applies to all elementary school grades, including 7 and 8. For older students, we see 20 minutes as the minimum of physical activity and we believe it will contribute to their overall academic success. While it will take some time administratively to work into schedules, this is a requirement that we expect all schools to be successful at. We are also providing funding to hire 2,000 new specialist teachers - some of which will teach phys ed for 40-60 minute classes and will offset the time requirement of classroom teachers. We realize that it will take some time to implement, so it is being phased-in over the course of the school year. We are providing resources to train teachers and help them make physical activity a part of any class, from math to English to social studies. In addition, the province, with the help of experienced educators, is providing teachers and schools with options for scheduling the physical activity requirement.

Q: I have a child in Grade 6 who has been waiting for pyscho-educational testing for several years. She has consistently tested below average by 1-2 grades. She is receiving assistance with an IEP. This year we had supportive documentation recommending testing by two physicians one being a psychologist. We were told that there would be no guarantee that she would be tested even with the documentation. My question is this: Why does there not seem to be enough resources to test children to see if there is an underlying learning disability? I have been told that there are not enough resources to test everyone that needs it but yet who needs it more than a child that is testing 1-2 grades behind. I have subsequently found testing through a local hospital and am awaiting results.

And why is it that we have fewer educational assistants now than we did before we were told that Special Education was receiving more funding? If you are serious about helping the needy students then increasing the one-on-one interaction is required.

A: If a student is receiving an IEP - that's good news. Students should be getting assistance first without waiting or depending on an assessment. Further, the only assessments they should receive are the ones that tell us how to educate the child. Previously, many tests were conducted unnecessarily in order to become eligible for funding. We are working with boards now on an overall reform of special education that will require boards to do assessments at as early an age as possible. There are over 4,000 more education assistants than there were in 2002-03. As a result,  there has been a large increase in individual student assistance. We are now ensuring that there are strategies are in place to produce results for those students as a result in the 65 per cent funding increase for high needs special education students over the last two years.

Q: I want to know what are the minister's thoughts on the Safe Schools Act? Given that the Ontario Human Rights Commission is looking into the matter because of its effect on minority students, is this something that is a priority for the minister?

A: The Safe Schools Act is a broad issue. We are looking at it in a couple of ways:
1. Are we doing enough to keep students safe in school?
2. Are the measures that are currently in place fair to all students?
Both of those questions are being subject to a complete review of the Safe Schools Act.  The review will include public consultations and is underway this fall. We are committing ourselves in advance to taking action to what is found as a result of the review.

Q: Although the Education Act specifically states that no extra charges should be billed to parents for regular classes, parents are routinely asked to hand over money for everything from school trips to graph paper. In the Avon Maitland school district, schools tell parents it's not an option to refuse to pay, even you point out that this is against their own school board policy. As well, they break the law (Consumer's Act I believe) by forcing parents to purchase a "package deal" of student ID card, planner and yearbook, even if you only want the ID card.

The Avon Maitland school board meets on a regular basis to review and set policy on fees but what's the point? The policies are not enforced, there is no accountability, no policy of enforcing their own policies and there is apparently no mechanism in place for appeals, just a refusal from all parties to not pass the buck.

and ...

Q: My son's school is having a fall fair fundraising event. The letter sent home said this event is to raise money for things like "doors for the classrooms." I don't mind helping to raise money for extra-curricular and special projects, but certainly classroom doors are a necessity for safety. I support you as my MPP and applaud your recent education announcements, but I think this Board should have the funds to put doors on the classrooms. I'd appreciate your thoughts. Thank you.

A: We believe that the fundamentals for an excellent education should be paid for by the government. We are giving school boards some time to adjust to the new higher levels of financing that we are providing and our instruction has been to ensure that those dollars flow to the schools.
We are also considering provincial rules around fundraising and school fees but are first giving the boards an opportunity to correct this problem by making sure that no student is being excluded and that no untoward use of fundraising is taking place.
Fundraising should be done for the 'extras' - things that are not essential to acquiring an excellent education in publicly funded schools.

Q: I was under the impression that class size for elementary schools was to be capped at approximately 25. Why then, are there 33 students in my son's grade 6 class?

A: Capping class size is a significant priority for this government. We are capping class sizes at 20 students from JK to Grade 3 by 2007-08. At the same time, the government will ensure smaller class sizes in the early grades do not come at the expense of larger classes in Grades 4 to 8. In fact, there will be an eventual decrease in class sizes in those grades as a by-product of this policy.

Q: While I agree that smaller class sizes certainly cannot hurt, would someone please explain to me when 30 students became such a problem? I went to elementary and high school in the 70s and 80s and 30 students was about the average class size then.

A: We know more now about the benefit of early intervention than we did in the 70s, which is why we are targeting those formative early years. Diversity in the classroom also means that teachers need time to deal with special challenges and give every student the individual attention they need to acquire the essential reading, writing and math skills for future success.

Q: Minister, the top salary for teachers in most jurisdictions is now over $80,000 per year. When generous benefit and pension plans are included, the total salary is likely over $100,000. What is the government doing to control salary levels so that more resources could be diverted to improving the educational system through reduced class sizes, better investment in our crumbling schools, and greater investment in school textbooks?

A: Two out of three dollars invested by the McGuinty government are going to improving education. One-third is being allocated to help give fair increases, in line with inflation, to teacher and education worker compensations. The top salary for a teacher is approx. $78,000. The starting salary is approx. $36,000 and the average salary is approx. $62,000.

Teachers work hard and are fairly compensated for that work. Because teachers have agreed to four-year contracts, we are able to put most of the education investment where it needs to be - new textbooks, $2.8 billion to turn crumbling schools into good places to learn and capping class sizes in the early grades where it really matters.

Q: Can you tell me how the government allows or requires school boards to operate in a consistent or uniform manner? At our daughter's Grade 1 class in Ajax, one of her classmates transferred from the York Region board. The parent of this child was very disheartened to learn that the Durham board does not provide teachers assistants like the York board. This means that one teacher alone must meet the needs of over 25 children. This makes it very difficult to implement programs in literacy where one-to-one interaction is required.

A: We require boards to have similar outcomes. Boards can have different approaches to being successful, so long as they are successful. We have changed the funding formula so that it is tailored to meet the needs of individual students. Boards with the same composition of students (low income, ESL etc) will get the same additional funding to meet those needs. Boards still have the flexibility and the choice on how to deliver good results for students. One board may choose to use educational assistants, another may choose a different technique to get the same result. That is the guarantee we give to parents - no matter what school they send their child to in publicly funded education - they will get a good outcome.

Q: It seems that many retired teachers are taking an early pension and returning to teach again. Is anything being done about encouraging the hire of new graduates?

A: New graduates have been enhanced in their future by the hiring of some 4,000 new teaching positions on the part of the province. As well, I believe boards should be giving opportunities to new teachers if they have short-term positions - which are the only positions that retired teachers are eligible for. Retired teachers are not eligible for full-time permanent teaching positions and they have limited eligibility for substitute teaching. We hope that boards are giving preference to new teachers for those positions to help bring them along to become good full-time teachers.
We have recently launched a new program to retain and help develop new teachers in their first years of teaching. You can learn more about the New Teacher Induction Program by visiting our website.

Q: Why does the province fund the religious education of one group only, Roman Catholics, to the exclusion of all other religious groups?

A: The province does not fund religious education. The province funds publicly funded education of schools that are required to meet high standards. Publicly funded schools must follow the Ministry of Education curriculum, all teachers are certified by the Ontario College of Teachers, and schools accept students, particularly at the high school level, from any faith. This is the type of publicly funded education that has evolved in this province and we have received no other proposal to make it more encompassing.
The private school tax credit was cancelled fairly as a result of the last election. That is the only proposal that has been brought to debate. Our priority remains making publicly funded education, the best education.

Online Q&A: Helping your child

This week's online education Q&A is now over. Thanks for joining expert Andrew Biemiller of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, who answered your questions about how to help children excel academically.

Questions and answers are archived below.

Q: Hi, My son is two-and-a-half years old. He has an advanced vocabulary, can count to 20 in three lanuages, understands the concepts of adding and subtracting, and has an exceptional memory. What types of activities or classes would you recommend for him?

A: Unfortunately, I really have no experience with very advanced children. If you enter Gifted children Toronto in Google (click on Canada), you will get addresses of local groups plus relevant literature. If you click on "websites" and Canada, you will get a lot of book suggestions, and probably a lot else.

Q: If you believe your child may have a learning disability how would you go about getting him tested? My son is currently in Grade 2. He still reverses a lot of his letters and has trouble reading. His teacher believes that it has to do with his fine motor skills but I am concerned that the issue is deeper than this.

A: Reversing letters is not a predictor of reading difficulties. Dealing with sounds in words is (see answer to question below). Assisted reading at home would probably help. Find interesting books that he can read perhaps 90 per cent on his own. Some children do have a lot of "fine motor" trouble - I did. At this age, more important are what the child can understand and what sorts of stories and explanations he can provide, rather than what he can write.

Q: I have three children, ages 16, soon to be 14, and 12. The youngest is a girl and I have no problem at all with her settling into homework and assignments. She starts her assignments just as soon as they are given and the results show on her report cards. My boys, well that's a different story. I need to constantly monitor all their assignments and make sure they are doing their homework. Nag, nag, nag and even more nagging! Even when they complete projects on time, they forget to bring them to school to hand them in. I have heard it suggested that school has become too much of a "team thing" for boys to excel and get excited about. Academics are now geared to things that girls generally do better at. That is, the day of the "maverick" (which is more of a boy thing) is gone. Perhaps boys like "competing" with others rather than 'working' with others. Do you think there is any merit in this line of thinking? If so, do you think educators should change the approach to give boys a better chance at achieving higher levels in school?

A: I do not believe that making schools "more competitive" would help most children. Instead of around half of the children being perceived as doing well, only 1-5% would be "winners" and the rest would learn that effort won't do it--somebody is always better and "wins". We need competent children (and adolescents and adults) who can use their academic skills and knowledge for a wide range of appications in life. We don't need a few "winners" and many "losers" at school learning.

Q: If a child attends French immersion school (parents are not required to know or speak French) how much additional help will the child need as opposed to attending english public school? Additional help as in English tutoring or any other subject that parents will not be able to assist in. Are there any benefits in sending children to french immersion schools and should they go through high school as well?

A: I have yet to see evidence presented that shows that immersion French for English-speaking children yields the best possible English language development. A better case may be possible for "bilingual" education, is as currently given in Ottawa (and doubtless elsewhere). For children from bilingual (English/French) backgrounds, bilingual education may well be best.

Complicating the issue is the unfortunate fact that at some schools, immersion French is used as a means of segregating the more advanced children from the rest. Typically, able children are able to cope better with immersion French than others who are gradually "steered' back to English-taught classes. Again, whether this practice is good for able children or other children remains to be seen.

Q: How can I help my boys (ages 7, 11 and 12) improve their reading and math skills? Tips also needed to keep them motivated in these areas. What educational sites are available for homework help in both English and French?

A: See my earlier answers to the questions below, especially the first regarding assisted reading and another on the math curriculum.

Q: My son (age 8) has a slight case of ADHD. He is not taking medication for it. Is there anything my wife and I can do to help him focus and improve his behaviour in school?

A: I'm not a clinical psychologist, and I'm not sure what is meant by a "slight case" of ADHD. Many children do not attend or concentrate as much as we wish they would. Is there any area of activity in which your child is motivated AND persistant? (What does he "stick at"?) If there is, I would infer that he doesn't have a basic problem with focussing, but rather with his tasks at school. Most of us don't persist well at things we don't do well. Unfortunately, in an era when we are not willing to accomdate children by giving them some things they can do well as well as some things they are successfully learning, we wind up with many discouraged learners who think (correctly) that they will never succeed (when "success" is what the most talented achieve).

Q: Where can a parent get help with the new math curriculum? It is very difficult to help your child with homework when you yourself do not know what the questions mean. We are also concerned about the lack of basic computation skills being taught. We have four children. Two graduated under the old system and are doing fine in university. We are extremely concerned that the younger two will not be adequately prepared. They are currently in grades 5 and 11. They are so far behind their older siblings in basic math skills at these grade levels.

A: I am not an expert in math or math education. I am concerned that the current (Harris government) math curriculum contains some unnecessary sections (patterns and "algebra"), and geometry at the elementary level, and unwillingness to deal with the reality that children do not all progress at the same rate. Teachers are confronted with the provincial/Board expectation that "the curriculum" must be taught completely -- in effect, even if some children don't master it. We should focus on understanding numbers, computation, measurement, and various applied problems using math skills taught.

So what can you, as parent, do? Probably make sure your children understand numbers (basic numbers, place values, decimals, fractions) and computation, and help them to see how to solve mathematical problems.

Q: My 11-year-old son does not focus on his homework assignments. It is a constant battle to get him to complete an exercise. Work is usually messy and incomplete. I have had him tested for ADD. How do I deal with this?

A: Assuming that the homework assignments are reasonable both in specific expectations and total amount of assignments (not more than 1 hour for a diligent child), I think you should look at cutting down or removing other activities until assignments are done. This means organized sports, television, computer games, internet, and if necessary, outdoor play with friends before dinner. (After dinner, priorities should be homework first, other things second unless the homework is already done.) You can do your best to explain the necessity of good school achievement, but whether or not he accepts that, he must know the consequences of not doing reasonable homework. You are ultimately in charge.

Q: How do I get my 15-year-old son to focus and get serious at school? His grades are just passing but he has a potential to do very well, only if he wants to.

A: Been there. Done that. I wish I had a better answer for you. Fifteen-year-old boys are hard. I wish we were a little more flexible in our curriculum, being a little more guided by what children -- and especially adolescents -- want to learn. In my experience, when an adolescent comes to have a goal ("This is what I could do and do well"), it is a lot easier to be motivated. In my non-expert view, the best you can do is help your child find worthwhile hobbies and vocations around which some of his school skills can be applied.

Q: How do I engage my 4-year-old daughter who has been reading since age 3. She cannot write and has no interest in writing at all. She is able to write her name but is not willing to even trace or copy any letters. She still use both her hands to write her name with.

A: I would really not worry about writing skills in a 4 year old child who is reading. The motor skills in writing are often very difficult for children of this age. If your child can read well, be happy for that and leave the writing alone. For any child who reads well, writing will come easily when the motor skills allow writing easily.

Q: I have a son who turned three in July and he already recognizes letters and can spell easy words (like mom or dad) which we've incorporated into a game that we play each day. I don't really know where to go from here, how else can I encourage him to recognize and read more words? Is he advanced for his age?

A: Learning letters and a few words are positive indicators of interest in reading. (You probably read aloud to your child a lot -- a very good way of fostering literacy and interest in books and reading.) There are some children who go on to be "early readers." However, the large majority of even very high IQ children do not read earlier than others. Conversely, many "early readers' are not otherwise very advanced. Certainly, acquiring reading skills early is not a problem.

I would put more emphasis on reading interesting books with your child rather than emphasizing reading/writing skills. Among others, Richard Scarry's books are very useful, and provide a strong emphasis on vocabulary. Most children like them a lot. I would also find books that follow up some of your child's interests. If he likes animals (e.g., zoo visiting or watching animals at home), extend that interest. If he likes contruction, find more about that. Building on an interest is a good way to extend both language and knowledge.

I would not stress reading skills at age three. If your child asks about a written word, of course tell him. But pushing reading skills too early may "turn off" your three year old's enthusiam for books and reading rather than increasing them. Concentrate more on what interests the child.

Q: My 6-year-old son has started Grade 1. His teachers have told us that he loses his focus. Any ideas to help him keep his focus? It is just that there is a lot of information coming at him?

A: The first thing to check is vision and hearing. Your boy may need glasses or may have an ear infection that results in poor or distorted hearing. Both of these are readily treatable.

If there are no vision or hearing problems, your child's phonological sensitivity should be checked. This is the understanding that words are made of component sounds. For example, "Take the word 'pin'. Take away the '/p/'. What do you have?" (in).Children who can solve this and a number of similar kinds of items usually have little difficulty learning basic reading skills. Children who have difficulty with these phonological tasks often have more difficulty with learning basic reading skills. Phonological skills can usually be taught. If your child needs work in this area, find out if the teacher is routinely doing anything re phonemes or component sounds in words.

In what month was your son born? Some educators don't like to hear it, but as a group, the youngest children in a grade do experience more difficulty than the oldest children. Performance on the EQAO is lower by an average 10 percent, and twice as many young-for-grade children are referred for special education as are "older" children, although there is absolutely no reason to think that children who are born in Oct.-Dec. have more learning disabilities than children born Jan.-Mar. To some extent, maturation makes a difference.

Q: My daughter, who has just started Grade 4, is still having more difficulty reading than I believe is normal for a 9 year old. I'm a high school teacher who has worked with kids with serious reading and writing deficits, but these are kids several years older than my own daughter, so I'm less sure of my own diagnosis of what I believe is my daughter's LD. She has difficulty decoding, sometimes forgots familiar words or letter patterns, and is generally less fluent than I think is normal. Beyond regular reading, which we do, what suggestions might you offer? Thanks.

A: See my answer to the first question below. Assisted reading is a really powerful way to help a child improve her reading, and is something any parent can do (if there is no language barrier -- clearly you do not have a second-language problem). We have seen children improve markedly in reading fluency and comprehension as a result of 16 weeks of assisted reading for 30 minutes per day. (In our work, we used old basal readers from the 1960's which provide a systematic increase in reading difficulty. Our Grade 3 and 4 children read through at least 2 first grade reading programs, 2 second grade reading programs, and 2 third grade reading programs in 16 weeks, for 30 minutes, 4 days a week.)

Q: How do I know what homework my child is suppose to have every day? He is in Grade 9. All I can do is take his word, is there a away of getting the teachers to write it down or send an e-mail? Thank you.

A: In many schools, information about assigned homework is provided. Sometimes teachers do this by a posting on a website. Others send home a "contract" listing major assignments for a month or "unit." IF your teacher(s) report that your son is NOT completing homework, it is reasonable to ask to be better informed about assignments. Conversely, if your child's teachers report that work is being done satisfactorily, then you should leave the matter alone.

Q: My daughter in Grade 1 has a peanut allergy. The school principal is new and has not yet posted the children's posters at the school nor done the minimum amount of things to be done under the school board's policy such as advising the other parents. The principal was provided with this info before school started. The board policy also seems to not have taken into account Sabrina's Law either.

I know Sabrina's Law comes into effect in Jan 2006 but what can I do in the meantime to get the principal to live up to her stated responsibilities & protect our children now? The principal seems to view this as a bother and is not seeing that she has a duty of care while our children are in her school.

A: I do not have any expertise with this problem -- neither the medical aspect nor the school administrative aspect. It is probably best to talk to your daughter's teacher or the principal directly.

Q: My son is in Grade 6 and has an auditory processing learning disability. His reading and language is assessed at a Grade 3 level. His goal is to read at his grade level. He reads a half hour each night. Do you have any suggestions to help with reading and spelling words with consonant blends?

A: Reading half an hour each night is one of the best things you can do. However, I would try "assisted" reading. While reading, encourage your child to ask you about any word he can't read. You just tell him what it is, and let him go on reading. In our experience, in most cases after asking 1 or 2 times about a particular word, it is learned. While doing assisted reading (as in the half hour at home), the immediate goal is to maximize the amount of reading, not to stop to teach decoding (sounding out) words or other strategies for identifying words that aren't recognized.

I would also encourage your boy to ask about word meanings when he doesn't know them. Again, explain the meaning briefly in the context of the reading. (If you don't know the meaning either, say so, and together get a dictionary and figure out what it means in the context. It's okay for your son to see that you, too, sometimes don't know.) I wouldn't worry about consonant blends until the boy is reading at approximately grade level.