TORONTO - Yesterday Ontario's Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) released the school- and board-level results for three of its assessments, as well as Ontario Student Achievement: EQAO's Provincial Report on the Results of the 2008-2009 Assessments of Reading, Writing and Mathematics, Primary Division (Grades 1-3) and Junior Division (Grades 4-6), and the Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics.

On August 26, EQAO released the provincial-level results, which showed steady improvement in all grades and subjects over the past five years and notable gains this year in Grade 6 reading and Grade 9 applied mathematics (see Table 1 in the backgrounder). With today's release of assessment results at the school and board levels, communities across Ontario will be able to compare the progress of their own students and that of the province as a whole.

"School- and board-level results provide an essential foundation of data that parents, policy-makers and educators at the local level, in particular, rely on to gauge and plan for student progress," said Dr. Brian Desbiens, Chair of EQAO's Board of Directors. "The annual release of these results has been facilitating thoughtful reflection and deliberate action, which has led to measureable improvements in student learning all across the province."

Provincial assessment results strengthen local accountability and encourage conversations between schools and families. Children have the most to gain when parents and guardians are active and informed regarding their child's education. EQAO has developed six questions that parents and guardians should consider when reviewing their school's report of results. These questions are currently available on EQAO's Web site (www.eqao.com).

The Provincial Report also profiles 18 schools from across the province that are using provincial assessment results to support their own improvement planning. The profiled schools are at various stages in their own journey of learning but are representative of dedicated school communities that can be found right across Ontario. The schools are notable for their leadership, proactive initiatives, data-driven strategies and whole-school approaches to help every child succeed. These are schools that have adopted an action plan based on their unique circumstances and that work toward improved student outcomes.

"The value of the provincial assessments goes well beyond their snapshot of student achievement at one moment in time," said Marguerite Jackson, EQAO's Chief Executive Officer. "The true value emerges when the information is thoroughly integrated into planning at the local level to support effective teaching and learning. While EQAO is only one part of the assessment picture, it is an important one-and ultimately, it is the student that is at the centre of this picture."