EQAO 2013 Primary and Junior Divisions Assessment Results

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Sep 23, 2013 ... The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) is an ... measures to each year's Grade 3 and Grade 6 assessment results, prior to their ...
Report to Committee of the Whole September 23, 2013

SUBJECT:

EQAO 2013 Primary and Junior Divisions Assessment Results

ORIGINATOR:

This report was prepared by Mary Lou Mackie, Executive Superintendent of Education and Mark Harper, Superintendent of Learning Services, in consultation with Executive Committee.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this report is to share the results of the Primary and Junior Divisions Provincial Assessments conducted in May/June 2013. BACKGROUND:

The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) is an arm’s-length agency of the Ministry of Education. The EQAO mandate is to conduct large-scale assessments, to report findings in an objective way and to recommend strategies at the provincial level that can lead to improved student achievement. During May/June 2013, there were over 259 000 participants in Grades 3 and 6 across the province during the EQAO assessments of Reading, Writing, and Mathematics. In our Board, there were 4203 Grade 3 students and 4225 Grade 6 students. Individual Student Reports (ISRs) are being made available to schools during the week of September 23, 2013 and will be sent home with students. These reports show the student’s achievement in relation to the provincial standard, as identified in the Ontario Curriculum. The reports for students in Grade 6 also show their achievement results on the primary division assessment (Grade 3), if they wrote it in 2010. Individual student reports also include summaries of the school, board and provincial results. Provincial test questions change each year. To allow for historical comparisons, EQAO applies statistical measures to each year’s Grade 3 and Grade 6 assessment results, prior to their release STATUS:

EQAO publicly released provincial, board, and school-level results on September 18, 2013. Student Participation The following chart identifies the participation rates for the Primary (Grade 3) and Junior (Grade 6) assessments. Participation rates are the percentage of students who took part in the assessment. Our Board has maintained the increases in participation rates over the last five years, most notably for students with Special Education needs (where average increases in participation rates across five years are 5 to 6 percent in Reading, 5 to 6 percent in Writing, and 5 to 7 percent in Mathematics), and English Language Learners (with average five-year increases of 3 to 6 percent in Reading, 2 to 7 percent in Writing, and 6 to 7 percent in Mathematics). Participation Rates Primary (Grade 3) WRDSB Province

Junior (Grade 6)

Reading

Writing

Mathematics

Reading

Writing

Mathematics

95% 97%

95% 97%

95% 97%

96% 98%

96% 98%

96% 97%

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Participation Rates Over Time Percentage of Grade 3 Students Who Participated in the Assessment: Comparing Student Participation from 2009 to 2013 100%

94% 94% 94% 95% 95%

95% 95% 95% 95% 95%

94% 95% 94% 95% 95%

Reading

Writing

Math

75% 50% 25% 0%

WRDSB 2009

WRDSB 2010

WRDSB 2011

WRDSB 2012

WRDSB 2013

Percentage of Grade 6 Students Who Participated in the Assessment: Comparing Student Participation from 2009-2013 100%

94% 95% 95% 95% 96%

95% 95% 95% 96% 96%

94% 95% 95% 95% 96%

Reading

Writing

Math

75% 50% 25% 0%

WRDSB 2009

WRDSB 2010

WRDSB 2011

WRDSB 2012

WRDSB 2013

Student Achievement The Waterloo Region District School Board has maintained the previous increases in both Primary and Junior Reading and Writing, within one percentage point increase or decrease in these areas as compared to last year’s results. Consistent with provincial results, gains were not seen in Mathematics achievement. Students in both Grade 3 and Grade 6 experienced a decline of 3 and 2 percentage points respectively in the 2013 assessments. The chart below summarizes the meaning of the levels used to describe student achievement. Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1

The student has demonstrated all or almost all of the required knowledge and skills, and the student’s achievement exceeds the provincial standard. The student has demonstrated most of the required knowledge and skills, and the student’s achievement meets the provincial standard. The student has demonstrated some of the required knowledge and skills, and the student’s achievement approaches the provincial standard. The student has demonstrated some of the required knowledge and skills in limited ways, and the student’s achievement falls much below the provincial standard.

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Percentage of Grade 3 Students Achieving at Levels 3, 4: Comparing Student Performance from 2009 to 2013 70% 57% 58%

60%

69% 68% 66% 65% 68%

61% 61% 61%

64% 66% 65% 62%

59%

50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%

Reading WRDSB 2009

Writing

WRDSB 2010

Math

WRDSB 2011

WRDSB 2012

WRDSB 2013

Percentage of Grade 6 Students Achieving at Levels 3, 4: Comparing Student Performance from 2009 to 2013 80%

69% 71%

70%

74% 74% 75% 66% 67%

72% 73% 72% 63%

60%

59% 58%

55% 53%

50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%

Reading WRDSB 2009

Writing

WRDSB 2010

WRDSB 2011

Percentage of Grade 3 Students Achieving at Level 3 or 4 80% 70%

68%

80%

67%

61%

WRDSB 2013

77% 75%

76%

72%

70%

59%

60%

WRDSB 2012

Percentage of Grade 6 Students Achieving at Level 3 or 4

77% 68%

Math

57%

60%

50%

50%

40%

40%

30%

30%

20%

20%

10%

10%

53%

0%

0% Reading

Writing Province

Reading

Math

Province

WRDSB

Writing

Math WRDSB

Contextual information used in interpreting the Board’s achievement results over time is included in Appendix A. Each school has received a copy of its overall results. Administrators and teaching staff are interpreting these school results and will share the results with their communities. A summary of individual school data is provided in Appendix B.

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EQAO Assessment Data for Specified Groups Results from EQAO Primary and Junior assessments for 2013 indicate gains in the achievement of our specified groups (boys, English Language Learners (ELLs) and students with Special Education needs) across five years in Reading and Writing. Results over the past five years show improvements in boys’ achievement in Reading and Writing. In the area of Writing, which has been an area of focus for the Board, we see a five-year increase of 8 percentage points in Grade 6 boys’ achievement and a 4 percentage point increase in Grade 3 boys’ achievement. Compared to 2011-2012, there was a one percentage point increase in boys’ achievement in Grade 3 Reading and Writing, and in Grade 6 Reading. Achievement of ELLs indicate increased results, as well. Of particular note are the results for ELLs in Grade 3 Reading, where there has been a 13 percentage point increase in results from 2009. Results for students with Special Education needs in Grade 3 and Grade 6 Reading and Writing over the past five years show improvement: 6 percentage points in Primary Reading and 7% in Primary Writing; 16 percentage points in both Junior Reading and Junior Writing. Action Plans EQAO has provided data that will assist educators at all levels to take actions to improve student achievement in Reading, Writing and Mathematics. Ongoing analysis and interpretation of achievement results will serve to further inform the continual development of supports for learning. Actions undertaken will focus on supporting the goal identified in system memo ES-001:2013-14 (Working in Collaboration to Optimize Learning and Achievement for All Students) that specified groups of students will improve their ability to communicate their thinking. Listed below are the actions staff will take to support the learning of all students. These actions align with, and are included under, the following Board’s strategic directions: Engaging students, families, staff and communities, pursuing student achievement and success for all, embracing diversity and inclusion, and promoting forward thinking. These actions are primarily focused on interventions for students, capacity building (educator knowledge and skills to improve learning, instruction and leadership) and supporting conditions (e.g., supports for parents and families) to improve learning and instruction. Engaging Students, Families, Staff and Communities • A Ministry initiative, Collaborative Inquiry in Mathematics (CIL-M) will continue to be implemented. Sixty schools participated in 2012-13. Additional schools will have the opportunity to participate in 20132014. • Specific groups of educators will participate in centrally-facilitated Learning Cycles (e.g. Mathematics, Full Day Kindergarten teams, teachers of ELL, Special Education, French Immersion, etc.) to improve learning and instruction particularly for specified groups of students who struggle (e.g., students receiving Special Education support, boys, ELLs and students in Grade 9 applied and essential math). • Learning Series will be provided to support all teachers and administrators new to Grades 3 and 6 in understanding the format and requirements of the 2013-2014 EQAO Primary and Junior Assessments of Reading, Writing and Mathematics. • Learning Services consultants will provide support to administrators and School Improvement planning teams in interpreting and using information presented in the EQAO reports, to inform instruction and to refine School Improvement Plans. • Learning Services staff will support the implementation of networked and site-based Learning Cycles, intended to improve learning and instruction in areas of greatest need, specific to each site, in all schools in the Waterloo Region District School Board. • Communication with parents regarding on how parents can support their students as they complete the EQAO Assessments, via newsletters, parent nights and at School Council meetings, will increase. For example, an EQAO Parent Resources link has been placed on each school’s website (www.eqao.com). This link will connect with a document designed to assist parents in navigating the EQAO site. • Parent support sessions, specifically focused on offering assistance to help students with Mathematics, will be expanded. • The Parent Leadership Project, for racialized communities to increase parents’ understanding and engagement in support of their children’s learning, will continue. • Ministry of Education Parent Resources supporting Mathematics and Literacy will be made available to all schools.

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Fostering Wellness and Well-Being • A board-wide mental health strategy is being developed and specific interventions to promote mental health and enable students to be better prepared to learn and achieve are being considered for implementation. • Safe, caring and inclusive school training is continuing with the goal of providing interventions and creating conditions to help students feel safe, comfortable and able to learn. • The vision of the educator as caring and responsive, as reflected in the Board Improvement Plan for Student Achievement (BIPSA), and an emphasis in schools on explicitly creating conditions that optimize learning by ensuring safe, welcoming environments, is an area of effort in 2013-14. • Learning Series will be offered to assist teachers in developing effective strategies and plans for at-risk and formally identified (IEP) students, particularly those who may have additional health-related barriers, transitioning between schools. Pursuing Student Achievement and Success For All • The use of differentiated instruction, universal design, a problem-solving approach and the promotion of more student choice to respond to student interests/readiness (i.e., student voice), particularly in Mathematics, will continue as an area of emphasis to help staff intervene with students and help them improve their confidence, understanding and application of Mathematics concepts and strategies. • Learning Support Teachers (LSTs) will collaborate with classroom teachers to intervene to address the learning needs of students. Four LSTs will be focused on supporting schools with FDK. Five LSTs will be focused on supporting the use of Assessment for Learning in various contexts (e.g., Math/Language). • A broader understanding and demonstration of the Board Improvement Plan goal, that specified groups of students will improve their ability to communicate their thinking, will be promoted across the system. This includes a more intentional focus on creative and critical thinking and various ways in which students communicate their thinking, including oral and other forms of communication, across all curriculum areas, with an emphasis on Mathematics. • School Improvement Plans include a focus on “assessment for learning” which is an area of emphasis in the 2013-14 Board Improvement Plan. Data from a variety of classroom assessments is used inform and guide instruction and support the choice of effective instructional tools that have a positive impact on increasing student engagement and learning. Given the areas of need relating to Mathematics, it is anticipated that more schools will renew their efforts on using assessment for learning principles to improve learning and instruction related to Mathematics. • Professional Learning sessions on instructional leadership to improve Mathematics learning and instruction will be available for administrators. More school administrators are actively participating in improving learning and instruction in projects focused on Mathematics, such as CIL-Math. Embracing Diversity and Inclusion • Several math intervention resources have been purchased for all schools to support students who are struggling with the acquisition of Mathematical concept in elementary schools (e.g. Leaps and Bounds, and “Do the Math”). • The implementation of a web-based Math intervention called DreamBox, an online program with educational games that are individualized for students learning K-3 Math, will expand. Each elementary school is provided with 10 licenses to support closing the gap in Number Sense and Numeration for struggling students. • A summer intervention program, focused on the primary and junior division with a Numeracy/Mathematics focus, has been implemented to support elementary students. • Early Literacy Intervention (ELI) support will continue in 89 schools. Ongoing professional learning opportunities will continue for Special Education Resource Teachers (SERTs) delivering ELI. • A Corrective Reading Program will be implemented in 70 to 80 elementary and secondary schools to intervene with struggling readers in Grades 4 and up and the EmpowerReading Program will be used to intervene with students identified with needs in an Individual Education Plan (IEP). • Learning Series will continue to be offered focused on the integration of curriculum expectations and issues related to marginalized groups in supporting barrier-free learning environments and critical thinking skills (e.g., First Nations Metis Inuit, LGBTQ). • Ongoing training for SERTs, classroom teachers and administrators will continue to support the needs of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and in particular the use of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) strategies. • Special Education, self-contained (congregated) classes and classroom teachers will continue to participate in Learning Series that focus on using Assessment for Learning principles, writing/interpreting IEPs and alternative reporting practices to accommodate students and modify curriculum expectations to assist students with special needs communicate their thinking. • ESL teachers are receiving training to support the development of academic language in the content areas for English Language Learners (ELL).

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Promoting Forward Thinking • The Ontario Education Resource Bank, an online digital resource for use by teachers to help differentiate instruction, share resources and provide more engaging learning activities, is increasingly being utilized to intervene to improve learning and instruction with challenging subject content for some students, such as Mathematics. • Research is underway on various tools to intervene with students and improve learning and instruction relating to Mathematics (e.g., full-school implementation of interventions such as Dreambox, Prodigy, Contexts for Learning Mathematics – Mini-Lessons for Number Sense and Numeration). • Students are increasingly being engaged and their voice, perspectives and opinions are being considered as teachers intervene to improve instructional approaches for students, particularly in Mathematics. • A number of promising practices (e.g., Mathematics book study in the Student Work Study Initiative) in all divisions (primary, junior, intermediate and secondary) are being used to refine and improve professional learning approaches and instruction, particularly in reference to Mathematics. • A review of formative elementary assessment tools, including those developed to assess Mathematics, is underway. These are used to help identify student strengths and needs and assist teachers in reflecting on and improving learning and instruction. • Promotion of web-based resources for teachers to support instruction such as EduGAINS (www.edugains.ca) and e-Workshop (www.eworkshop.on.ca) will continue. • A greater emphasis on the cross-curricular applications of Mathematics, to make it more relevant, engaging and visible for more students across all subject areas, will be an area of focus in 2013-14. COMMUNICATIONS:

Each school has received a copy of its overall results. Administrators and teaching staff are interpreting these school results and are sharing the results with their communities. Results are being shared with Executive Superintendents, Superintendents and Learning Services staff. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: All activities related to this initiative can be applied to the existing budgets of Learning Services.

STRATEGIC PLAN: The six strategic directions that are used to guide the work of the Board are: • • • • • •

Engaging students, families, staff and communities Fostering wellness and well-being Pursuing student achievement and success for all Embracing diversity and inclusion Championing quality public education Promoting forward-thinking.

This report addresses several strategic directions within the Strategic Plan. Overall, the report focuses on the strategic direction described as pursuing student achievement and success for all. In addition, the report describes several actions staff will take to support the learning of all students. These actions address the following Board’s strategic directions: engaging students, families, staff and communities, embracing diversity and inclusion and promoting forward-thinking. As well, the report serves as another source of evidence highlighting student achievement and success and helps to address the strategic direction described as championing quality public education. RECOMMENDATION: No recommendation. For information only.

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Assessments of Reading, Writing and Mathematics, Primary and Junior Divisions, 2012–2013

Contextual Information: Grade 3* This information provides a context for interpreting the board’s results.

Demographic Information

Board

Province

Enrolment Number of Grade 3 students Number of classes with Grade 3 students Number of schools with Grade 3 classes

4 203 323 88

127 645 9 556 3 340

Number Percent Number Percent Gender Female Male Gender not specified

2 042 2 161 0

49% 51% 0%

61 888 65 757 0

48% 52% 0%

552 689

13% 16%

16 093 21 452

13% 17%

91% 114 431 9% 13 081