The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) has released provincial data from its 2021–2022 assessments, which marks a return to the agency’s large-scale provincial assessment administration after a pause for the prior two years.
The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) has released provincial data from its 2021–2022 assessments, which marks a return to the agency’s large-scale provincial assessment administration after a pause for the prior two years.
EQAO’s assessment results provide important data for Ontarians on student learning through the COVID-19 pandemic.
More than 600 000 students across the province completed EQAO assessments at the elementary and secondary levels during the 2021–2022 school year in the English- and French-language school systems. Students learning in person (and students learning remotely who wrote in person) participated in the assessments this past year, according to government direction.
EQAO data show that Ontario’s student outcomes are similar to those of other jurisdictions, where the pandemic has had a more significant impact on mathematics than on literacy achievement.
For the first time, EQAO is reporting on the achievement results of its new digitalized and modernized assessments, which introduced a new online model of assessment delivery that differs from that of the prior paper-based assessments.
EQAO is also releasing data from student questionnaires to provide contextual and attitudinal information about student learning to build a fuller picture of learners’ context and the factors that influence achievement.
EQAO data provide an independent snapshot that shows whether students are meeting curriculum expectations in reading, writing and mathematics at key stages of their education.
ASSESSMENT DATA AND OBSERVATIONS
Due to the substantial changes to EQAO assessments (i.e., mode of delivery, assessment model), as well as the introduction of new mathematics curricula, 2018–2019 results are provided only as reference points (where applicable in relation to the provincial standard) to shine a light on how students are doing after two years of a pandemic.
ASSESSMENTS OF READING, WRITING AND MATHEMATICS, PRIMARY AND JUNIOR DIVISIONS
The Assessments of Reading, Writing and Mathematics, Primary Division (Grade 3) and Junior Division (Grade 6), are now computer-based assessments that measure the reading, writing and mathematics skills students are expected to have learned by the end of Grades 3 and 6 according to The Ontario Curriculum. In 2020-2021, a new universal elementary mathematics curriculum, against which the assessment is anchored, was introduced.
Primary Division (Grade 3)
According to the data from the 2021–2022 EQAO assessments, Grade 3 student achievement results, which are given in relation to the provincial standard, have declined in literacy but have remained stable in mathematics, relative to those from 2018–2019.
Assessment results for all participating students:
- 73% of Grade 3 students met the provincial standard in reading (77% met the standard in 2018–2019).
- 65% of Grade 3 students met the provincial standard in writing (72% met the standard in 2018–2019).
- 59% of Grade 3 students met the provincial standard in mathematics (60% met the standard in 2018–2019).
Learners’ context:
- 74% of Grade 3 students indicated that they like to read, and 58% that they like to write.
- 72% of Grade 3 students indicated that they think they are a good reader, and 56% that they think they are a good writer.
- 69% of Grade 3 students indicated that they like math, and 61% that they think they are good at math.
Junior Division (Grade 6)
According to the data from the 2021–2022 EQAO assessments, Grade 6 student achievement results, which are given in relation to the provincial standard, have remained stable in reading and writing but have declined in mathematics, relative to those from 2018–2019.
Assessment results for all participating students:
- 85% of Grade 6 students met the provincial standard in reading (83% met the standard in 2018–2019).
- 84% of Grade 6 students met the provincial standard in writing (the same percentage of students met the standard in 2018–2019).
- 47% of Grade 6 students met the provincial standard in mathematics (50% met the standard in 2018–2019).
Learners’ context:
- 62% of Grade 6 students indicated that they like to read, and 54% that they like to write.
- 68% of Grade 6 students indicated that they think they are a good reader, and 48% that they think they are a good writer.
- 51% of Grade 6 students indicated that they like math, and 48% that they think they are good at math.
GRADE 9 ASSESSMENT OF MATHEMATICS
The Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics is a computer adaptive assessment that measures the mathematics skills students are expected to have learned by the end of the Grade 9 mathematics course according to The Ontario Curriculum. This year, a new universal and de-streamed secondary mathematics curriculum, against which the assessment is anchored, was introduced.
According to the data from the 2021–2022 EQAO assessments, Grade 9 student achievement results, which are given in relation to the provincial standard, have declined in mathematics since 2018–2019.
The number of participating students in the 2021–2022 Grade 9 cohort is smaller than in previous years due to unforeseen circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic, which prevented some students from participating.
Assessment results for all participating students:
- 52% of Grade 9 students met the provincial standard in mathematics (75% met the standard in 2018–2019, when academic and applied results for that year are combined).
- Learners’ context:
- 53% of Grade 9 students indicated that they like math, and 55% that they think they are good at math.
- 68% of Grade 9 students indicated that they think they understand most of the math they are taught.
ONTARIO SECONDARY SCHOOL LITERACY TEST (OSSLT)
The OSSLT is a computer assessment that measures whether students are meeting the minimum standard for literacy across all subjects up to the end of Grade 9 according to The Ontario Curriculum.
According to the data from the 2021–2022 EQAO assessments, overall success rates on the OSSLT are high, showing stability in the literacy skills acquired by Ontario students up to the end of Grade 9.
There is a considerable difference between the size and composition of the 2021–2022 previously eligible cohort and those of the cohorts of past school years. A greater number of Grade 11 and non-graduating Grade 12 students who were previously eligible to take the OSSLT were not able to, due to the paused assessments in 2019–2020 and 2020–2021. The previously eligible cohort in 2021–2022 includes Grade 11 students who did not have a prior opportunity to write the test during the pandemic. These students had an additional year of learning, and their success rates are higher than those for first-time eligible (Grade 10) students.
Students enrolled in academic courses showed stable literacy achievement relative to 2018–2019, while those enrolled in applied courses showed improvement in literacy achievement.
Assessment results for all participating students:
- 82% of first-time eligible students who wrote the OSSLT were successful (80% were successful in 2018–2019).
- 85% of previously eligible students who wrote the OSSLT were successful (50% were successful in 2018–2019).
- 91% of first-time eligible students enrolled in the academic course were successful (the same percentage of students were successful in 2018–2019).
50% of first-time eligible students enrolled in the applied course were successful (41% were successful in 2018–2019).
Learners’ context:
- 53% of students indicated that they like reading on their own time, and 38% that they like writing on their own time.
- 79% of students indicated that they think they are a good reader, and 63% that they think they are a good writer.
- 81% of students indicated that they think they can read fluently, and 70% that they think they can write fluently.
- QUOTES
“EQAO assessments administered in elementary and secondary schools across the province help to foster accountability in Ontario’s publicly funded education system by providing objective, reliable data that shed light on student learning. EQAO is committed to supporting evidence-informed decision making by continuing to provide insights that help education stakeholders promote student success.”
—Dr. Cameron Montgomery, Chair, EQAO
“Data from EQAO’s large-scale digitalized assessments on students’ achievement, along with input from students and educators concerning learning context, offer important information that can lead to positive change for each child. This year’s release of results provides a snapshot of how students are doing after two years of pandemic-related disruptions in schools. We trust that collaborative analysis of EQAO’s data will contribute to ensuring every student is accounted for as educators and partners discuss and implement strategies to improve student outcomes.”
—Dan Koenig, Chief Executive Officer, EQAO