The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EAO) has recently released the results for the 2022/2023 Grade 9 math assessment and the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) in Oakville.
According to the data, Iroquois Ridge emerged as the top publicly funded high school for math, while Oakville Trafalgar claimed the crown for literacy.
The math results revealed that an impressive 86.7 per cent of Iroquois Ridge students achieved a Level 3 or 4 understanding of math.
This exceptional performance solidified Iroquois Ridge's position as the powerhouse for math education in Oakville.
St. Thomas Aquinas stood out for the Catholic school board, with 70.5 per cent of its students achieving a Level 3 or 4 understanding.
For OSSLT, Oakville Trafalgar topped the charts with an outstanding success rate of 97.5 per cent.
This exceptional accomplishment highlights Oakville Trafalgar's commitment to fostering strong literacy skills among its students.
Holy Trinity demonstrated remarkable performance among the Catholic schools, with 93.8 per cent of its students passing the literacy test.
Assessing Student Achievement: EQAO Tests as Benchmarks
The EQAO assessments are vital in measuring student achievement and providing valuable insights into the quality of education in Ontario's publicly funded schools.
The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) is one such assessment that evaluates student mastery of literacy skills across various subjects as outlined in the Ontario Curriculum. Typically administered in Grade 10, the OSSLT consists of selected-response and open-response questions, allowing students to demonstrate their understanding within 60 minutes.
Similarly, the Grade 9 Mathematic assessment helps gauge students' skills development. In the 2022-2023 academic year, the examinations took place in January and June 2023.
Notably, the de-streamed mathematics curriculum introduced in 2021 ensures that all Grade 9 students face the same assessment, promoting equitable evaluation across the board.
Understanding EQAO Scoring: A Snapshot of Student Performance
The EQAO assessments employ a four-level scoring system to measure student achievement. Each level signifies a particular understanding and application of required knowledge and skills for the respective grade.
Level 4: Represents a high level of achievement, indicating a thorough understanding and application of grade-level knowledge and skills.
Level 3: Signifies meeting the provincial standard, with students displaying a good understanding and application of necessary knowledge and skills.
Level 2: Suggests that students have a basic understanding and application of required knowledge and skills but with some gaps, indicating they are approaching the provincial standard but have not fully met it.
Level 1: Indicates limited understanding and application of required knowledge and skills, placing students below the provincial standard.
Notably, these levels serve as benchmarks for student performance on the EQAO assessments and do not reflect their overall abilities or potential.
| School | Board | Grade 9 Mathematics | Ontario SS Literacy Test | ||||||
| alphabetically by board | Student #s | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4 | Student #s | Sucessful | Unsuccessful | |
| Holy Trinity | Catholic | 380 | 2.4% | 35.0% | 52.6% | 10.0% | 357 | 93.8% | 6.2% |
| St. Ignatius of Loyola | Catholic | 263 | 2.3% | 24.7% | 63.1% | 9.9% | 258 | 89.9% | 10.1% |
| St. Thomas Aquinas | Catholic | 271 | 4.1% | 25.5% | 56.5% | 14.0% | 297 | 91.9% | 8.1% |
| Oakville HCDSB SS Average | 914 | 2.9% | 28.4% | 57.4% | 11.3% | 912 | 91.9% | 8.1% | |
| Abbey Park | Public | 264 | 2.7% | 12.9% | 53.4% | 31.1% | 240 | 93.3% | 6.7% |
| Garth Webb | Public | 403 | 3.0% | 19.9% | 61.3% | 15.9% | 402 | 95.5% | 4.5% |
| Iroquois Ridge | Public | 331 | 3.0% | 13.0% | 56.5% | 30.2% | 373 | 96.6% | 3.8% |
| Oakville Trafalgar | Public | 263 | 1.9% | 12.9% | 60.1% | 25.1% | 323 | 97.5% | 2.5% |
| Thomas Blakelock | Public | 206 | 5.3% | 33.0% | 5.3% | 6.3% | 194 | 94.3% | 5.7% |
| White Oaks | Public | 448 | 4.7% | 18.1% | 52.9% | 24.3% | 513 | 92.0% | 8.0% |
| Oakville HDSB SS Average | 1923 | 3.4% | 18.3% | 48.3% | 22.2% | 2045 | 94.9% | 5.2% | |
| Halton Catholic District School Board | 3041 | 3.8% | 32.2% | 55.5% | 8.5% | 3162 | 90.1% | 9.9% | |
| Halton District School Board | 4703 | 4.3% | 26.3% | 55.0% | 14.3% | 4912 | 92.2% | 7.8% | |
| Provincial results | 130547 | 9.9% | 36.4% | 46.3% | 7.4% | 131182 | 84.7% | 15.3% |
About EQAO
The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) has been actively promoting and assessing the quality of education in Ontario's publicly funded schools since its establishment in 1996.
Through its comprehensive mathematics, reading, and writing testing, the EQAO says they "provide valuable information about student achievement, allowing for comparisons across schools and school boards."
The EQAO's primary objective is to drive improvement in student learning and inform education policy and practice. By providing accurate and reliable data, the EQAO aims to enhance the quality of education and ensure student success across the province.