Parents and education advocates are reacting to this year’s results from the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) as many say it paints a grim picture of Ontario’s education system.
EQAO is an arms-length government agency that annually tests reading, writing, and math skills of students in Grades 3, 6, and 9. The results are used to assess how well the province’s public education system is developing its students.
Highlights from this year’s EQAO results
- 25.8% of Grade 3’s and Grade 6’s performed below the provincial standard in reading
- 35.4% of Grade 3’s and Grade 6’s performed below the provincial standard in writing
- 36.4% of Grade 3’s and Grade 6’s performed below the provincial standard in math
- 42.4% of Grade 9’s performed below the provincial standard in math
Parents and advocates concerned but not surprised
“It’s definitely troubling,” Ashley Billedeau, the president of the Ontario Federation of Home and School Association (OFHSA), tells Now Toronto.
Meanwhile, the President of Young People Achieving Milestones (YPAM) Rukshan Para says it’s troubling news, but not unexpected.
“I’m not flabbergasted,” Para tells Now.
In the over ten years YPAM has worked with youth to develop their skills in reading, writing, math, and public speaking, Para says the digitization of educational materials has contributed to the downfall of literacy.
“It’s the digital age. It’s laziness in one term,” Para says.
“It’s a fact that a lot of children are relying on things like artificial intelligence and auto-corrections.”
“[Reading, writing, and math] are pretty important. They’re important because they are their core subjects,” Scott Hurley, father to 10- and 14-year-olds, tells Now Toronto.
Hurley says he worries less about his own children but only because the progress reports he receives from his school are “pretty fulsome”, allowing him to have a good understanding of his kids’ progress.
“As for the kids falling behind in those areas, we should look at why and try to address it.”
Billedeau says that’s exactly the type of work OFHSA does: identifying problems in public education and coming up with prompt solutions.
“No parent wants to hear that things are going to take years and years, because by that time, their children have already struggled and not received what they needed,” Billedeau says.
“We ask our members what they are seeing, what they think will help support kids. Then we bring that feedback to the ministry. … We advocate for what the parents feel is going to support their kids because parents know their kids best.”
Government of Ontario says it’s taking ‘decisive action’
In a news release, the Ministry of Education says it will be appointing an advisory body to “review the province’s approach to student assessment” that will be composed of two appointed members to “lead a comprehensive review of how Ontario supports learning, focusing on math, reading and writing and closing achievement gaps.”
It says the comprehensive review will assess the following:
- Why student outcomes are not improving at the desired pace
- Whether resources in the curriculum are clear, consistent, and user-friendly
- How well teachers are prepared and supported
- Whether students have the tools they need to succeed
The ministry says the advisory body will also look at how EQAO tests are designed and delivered. The final report – expected to bring forward actionable recommendations to the education minister – will be made public.
Earlier this year, the province also announced over $30 billion in funding for the 2025-26 school year to help students strengthen core skills in reading and math as well as ensure access to special education and mental health supports.
Parents and advocates urge holistic evaluation
When it comes to devising solutions to gaps in the provincial education system, Billedeau says it’s important to assess kids’ performances more holistically. While schools and teachers play an important role in a child’s learning, so do parents and what they are able to offer at home.
“One of the things we’ve been partnering with for the last year now is the National School Food Program. Things like hunger definitely have a huge impact on kids and how they can learn. We try to help with all such aspects that contribute to how well kids can learn and take part in class,” Bilodeau says.
Daryna Diagel, whose son will start Grade 1 next year, says educating a child should be a collaborative effort between the school and the home.
“Teachers have to teach the kids but when it comes to all basic skills, children should learn those at home,” Diagel tells Now.
“Parents are responsible for explaining to their kids why it’s important to learn, and teachers are responsible for helping parents develop their children.”
For now, until the provincial review is conducted, Billedeau says there is no other choice for parents but to remain optimistic.
“It seems like the tide is starting to turn. So, I mean, we are optimistic. We’ll get the kids where they need to be. Takes a little work, but we’ll get there.”
