Online Q&A: Province-wide tests

Wondering about the province-wide tests? Your school or board results? Members of the Education Quality and Accountability Office answered reader questions last week in the Star's online education forum. Please send us your comments.

For individual board results, click here.

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Q: Province-wide, results are on the rise. Why do you think that is? What can schools and teachers do with these results? What are some of the highlights from the results you've just released?

A: Schools and school boards are using EQAO data, and data/information gathered locally, to help students improve their learning. Teachers are using the data to target specific areas where students need improvement. Programs are then being developed to address the specific learning needs.

More students in Grades 3 and 6 are performing at or above the provincial standard in reading, writing and mathematics.

There continues to be an achievement gap, in favour of girls, in all three subject areas, except in Grade 3 mathematics where boys outperformed girls by 1 per cent.

In all three subject areas, Grade 3 and 6 ESL/ELD learners made significant improvements in the percentage of students performing at or above the provincial standard.

In 2005-2006, the percentage of students with special needs, performing at or above the provincial standard, has increased. The gains made by Grade 6 students with special needs are slightly larger than the Grade 6 population as a whole in reading and writing.

Q: Are there any boards' results that are a cause for concern, or any areas you've identified where work is needed?

A: It would be inappropriate for EQAO to comment on the results of any specific board. Boards and schools can speak to their results within the full context of their program development and achievement levels.

Q: Some are saying the increase in results over the past few years has been "glacial." Is that to be expected?

A: Results from one year to the next can vary -- in fact results can even decline sometimes. At the provincial level, it is typically unusual to see large increases from one year to the next. The key is that there is an overall trend toward upward, sustainable increases over time.

Q: What does the government intend to do when its target of 75 per cent is reached?

A: EQAO cannot respond to this. It’s important to understand that EQAO is an arm’s length agency of the Government of Ontario, governed by an independent board of directors. Its role is to create, administer, score and report on tests that accurately and reliably measure student learning according to the expectations of The Ontario Curriculum. We try to ensure the feedback we provide can readily be used to target areas of further improvement for all students.

Think of EQAO as the constant and reliable measuring stick. It’s the government’s responsibility to set the curriculum, the provincial standard and also to establish provincial policy on educational matters, such as performance targets.

Q: Will test scores ever be used as a standard for teacher pay?

A: Again, the government establishes provincial policy on educational matters. This is not a topic to which EQAO can respond. What we can say is that EQAO tests measure cumulative learning, for example at the end of the Primary (Grade 3) and Junior (Grade 6) levels of education. Student achievement on the tests is therefore the product of all the teaching and other supports students have received over the years.

Q: Will tests always be paper and pencil with no hands-on?

A: At this time, there is no plan to introduce performance assessments that involve students working with materials (such as in a science experiment or an art project) . In mathematics, however, Grades 3 and 6 students may have access to manipulatives such as geoboards or base-ten blocks when responding to mathematics test questions.

Q: Who marks the tests? Can somebody just out of teachers' college mark the tests? What is the rate of pay?

A: The Grade 3, 6 and 9 tests just reported on were scored by trained, qualified Ontario educators. Recent graduates from Ontario teacher’s colleges are eligible to apply to become scorers. Qualified individuals should visit the section of EQAO’s website called “Educator Opportunities” for further details about employment opportunities.

Q: Does the public know that the government tests have been watered down so it is easier for students to achieve high scores?

A: This statement is not based in fact. The tests assess the same knowledge and skills in each administration and the questions contain the same balance in terms of difficulty level. Each year EQAO’s assessments are reviewed by experts in large scale assessment and validated as comparable from year to year. Each year students are required to demonstrate the same skill areas. The tests are comparable with previous years’ tests, as students are required to demonstrate the same skills.

Comments

[Anonymous]

It's no wonder the test results are better than past years. The Halton elementary schools sent home EQAO pre-test booklets with practise questions in them. The kids did questions in the booklets for six weeks!! I'd be embarrased if results didn't improve after that kind of preparation. What are the schools trying to prove? It's certainly not about the kids.

[K. All]

What does the government intend to do when the 75% target is reached?

Will test scores ever be used as a standard for teachers pay?

Will home economics, design and technology return to the elementary system in the new future?

Will tests always be paper and pencil with no hands on?

Can somebody just out of teachers college mark the tests?

Is the pay rate still roughly $120 a day for 11 days in the summer with a perdiem for each teacher that marks the tests?

Why were schools not allowed to look at tests last year. Their were many discrepancies?

How can a class with a least 5 students on an IEP end up with test scores of 100%?

[Anonymous]

Does the public know that the government tests have been watered down so it is easier for students to achieve high scores?

The government is accountable to the public and if they didn't water down the test, they would appear to have wasted tax dollars on a silly iniative as students are tested daily in the classroom.

Well, something for The Star to look into...

[Colin]

Why do we spend such an inordinate amount of time in readiness for a test? Why not spend that time in preparing our youth for success in the real world?
Why not foster a desire to learn?
Why not work on apprentice programs?
Studying for tests to prove to ourselves that we are good enough and that we are keeping up with the rest of the world along with changing curriculums yearly is not the way to do create excellence...only paranoia.
If we say we want parents as part of the solution why are we alienating them with obfuscating language?
PRIME EXAMPLE: RUBRIC...
I love words and have been known to read a dictionary.
When this word came home on a project...I had to look it up... and it took my largest dictionary (4" thick) to understand that it means simply: LIST OF EXPECTATIONS!
Similarly: PERSONAL NOVEL STUDY...is esoteric and elitist long hand for BOOK REPORT.
When Toronto is the melting pot of the world and many of our parents are struggling with ENGLISH and employment....WHY would we choose to use a lexicon that is alien to most people and surely alienating to those struggling already with English???
LET'S make it easy for parents to participate; not push them away or denigrate them with exclusive language.
We need to use parents time and students time more wisely-!!
Why has my daughter seen the movie: FINDING NEMO...three times during school hours?
Why are we recommending more Ritalin and fewer playgrounds?
Why are there NO PLAYGROUNDS? in the three elementary schools of our neighbourhood?
Lets look at the root causes.
Expecting different results from the same procedures, is a sure sign of insanity.