Fewer elementary students in Ontario are meeting the provincial standards for reading and writing, but there has been improvement in math compared to last year.
The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) released its third annual report on its test results for 2023-2024, which indicates whether or not students are meeting curriculum expectations in reading, writing and mathematics at key stages of their education.
According to the ministry, more than 570,000 students across the province completed EQAO assessments at the elementary and secondary levels of the English-and French-language school systems during the 2023–2024 school year.
“Several English- and French-language school boards across Ontario saw significant gains in students’ mathematics achievement in 2023–2024,” the education office said, which it attributed in part to innovative teaching strategies implemented by educators.
However, Grade 3 and 6 student achievement results dropped in reading and writing relative to 2022–2023, with a two-per cent decrease in students who met the provincial reading standard in both grades.
In 2023-2024, 71 per cent of Grade 3 students met reading expectations, compared to 73 per cent the previous year; the same percentage reached the standard in the 2021–2022 school year.
Meanwhile, 64 per cent met the provincial standard in writing, down one per cent from 2022–2023.
Similarly, Grade 6 student achievement results in reading dropped from 84 to 82 per cent in 2023-2024.
For writing, 80 per cent met provincial standards, a drop from 84 per cent in 2022–2023. The same percentage met the standard in 2021–2022.
In light of the results, EQAO Chief Executive Officer, Dan Koenig says “writing achievement deserves more attention.”
Though there has been a decrease in the percentage of Grade 3 and 6 students meeting standards in reading and writing, test results indicate steadier math results.
In the last round of testing, 61 per cent of Grade 3 students met the provincial standard in math compared to 60 per cent the year prior and 59 per cent in 2021–2022.
Comparatively, 50 per cent of Grade 6 students met the provincial standard in mathematics, which was the same as the previous year. Forty-seven per cent met the standard in 2021–2022.
Grade 9 mathematics results have remained consistent over the past three years with 54 per cent meeting the provincial standard in 2023– 2024 and 2022–2023, and 52 per cent meeting the standard in 2021–2022.
Minister of Education Jill Dunlop attributed the drop in results across reading and literacy to disruptions to learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Today’s EQAO results show that, after years of disruption to foundational classroom learning resulting from the pandemic, student learning in Ontario is stabilizing as our government’s focus on core learning and practical skills development begins to be felt,” she said in a statement on Thursday.
