Frequently Asked Questions
What is EQAO?
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EQAO tests are province-wide tests given once a year to Grade 3 and Grade 6 students. They measure the reading, writing, and math skills students are expected to have learned by the end of Grade 3 and Grade 6. Both tests are based on the Ontario Curriculum. The two-hour tests are given over three days near the end of the school year. All students in the two testing grades are expected to take the tests. (Tests are also administered in Grade 10 and its completion is a graduation requirement.)
What do the results mean?
There are two ways to think about the results of the test scores: you can compare the performance of Grade 3 students from one year to the next, and you can follow along a group of the same students to see how their scores changed from when they were tested in Grade 3 to how they performed on the tests in Grade 6. This second way of thinking about the test scores allows us to compare the progress of a particular group of students. As well, we can also take into consideration who these kids are – whether they are new to Canada, whether they have learning challenges, and if their first language is English, for example. You can also compare the year over year changes in the results of particular grade: for instance, comparing the performance of Grade 3s from one testing year to the next. Although this may say something about how the school interprets and responds to the test results – and presumably the effectiveness of their previous year’s School Performance Plan – it does not compare the progress of a particular group of students as they move through the school system.
The results talk about levels 1, 2, 3 and 4. What do they mean?
The test results of students are mapped out into four categories. The ones at Level 3 and Level 4 are those that are meeting or surpassing provincial standards, while level 1 and 2 students are not meeting provincial standards and clearly require extra support. The good news is, a large number of Duke students last year whose test results were mapped somewhere between 2 and 3 were closer to level three than they to level 2. That means they are close to meeting the standards and the effort it would take to move these students into Level 3 would not be too difficult.
When I read the test scores for the school, a number of students were exempt. What does that mean?
Although the school board discourages the exemption of students unless under very specific circumstances, some are excused from writing the test. In cases where students are unable to write on a particular date, the board encourages the school to arrange to have the student take the test at another time. Those students who simply fail to show up for the test are assigned a 0 and therefore will decrease the average test scores, which may have a big impact on the average score of the school due to the low numbers of students (e.g., one student may represent a few percentage points).
What were the results in 2012-13?
Of the Grade 3 students who took the math test, 43 per cent were at or above provincial standard. This test was administered to both English and French Immersion (FI) students. However, because the Grade 3 emersion students are not tested on reading and writing, only 36 students participated in reading and writing assessment. So of those English students who wrote the tests, 58 per cent were at or above the provincial standard. For the students in Grade 6, 61 per cent of the students who wrote the test met provincial standards in reading; 56 per cent in writing; and 44 per cent in math. A year over year analysis shows a decrease in the proportion of students who are at or above the provincial standard.
What happens when we compare the test outcomes of the same students over time?
When you follow a group of students from when they were tested in Grade 3 to when they took the test in Grade 6, the results look a little different. For example, those students who were tested in Grade 3 in 2007-08 and who wrote the Grade 6 tests three years later showed considerable progress in two of the three areas; for math, there was a decrease in the number of students who met or exceeded the standard in math. For example, while 51 per cent of the Duke Grade 3s tested for reading in 2007-08 were at or above the provincial standard, 67 per cent met or exceeded the standard when they wrote the Grade 6 test. Similarly, while 56 per cent of Grade 3 Duke students who wrote the writing test in 2007-08 met or exceeded the provincial standard, 65 per cent did so for their Grade 6 test. On the other hand, 56 per cent of Grade 3 Duke students who wrote the math test in 2007-08 met or exceeded the standard, but that number fell to 51 per cent when they wrote the test in Grade 6. All these results, both historical and current, are available here.
How do these results compare with the results at the school board and provincial levels?
When we compare these same figures for students in the board and across the province, similar trends emerge, suggesting that no matter what school your child attends, a greater number of students tend to encounter more problems with math as they move up the grades. For example, for the approximately 130,000 students across the province, 68 per cent of students who wrote the math test in 2007-08 met or exceeded the standard, falling to 58 per cent when they wrote the test in Grade 6.
Why is it that fewer than half of Duke students meet the standard in math?
The math curriculum in Ontario has evolved over the years. Math is now expressed more often using words and language, as opposed to simply
memorization. This is considered a better way for students to learn, understand and appreciate the application of mathematical concepts. This presents extra challenges to students studying in French. First, they must understand the question as posed in a second language means, and then work through the problem. Many French immersion students themselves identify this as a challenge, and increasingly so as they are taught
more complex mathematical concepts.
memorization. This is considered a better way for students to learn, understand and appreciate the application of mathematical concepts. This presents extra challenges to students studying in French. First, they must understand the question as posed in a second language means, and then work through the problem. Many French immersion students themselves identify this as a challenge, and increasingly so as they are taught
more complex mathematical concepts.
How do the test results affect my child’s marks?
They are not part of your child’s mark. And it is important for parents to understand that EQAO scores provide only a partial picture of your child’s
learning, and even less a portrait of your child as a person. Teachers use a variety of different kinds of tests and assessments throughout the year, in order to get to know our child and his or her potential. Nevertheless, EQAO tests are a reflection of what your child is expected to have learned according to the Ontario curriculum. What’s more, EQAO data over the year show a strong link between students’ scores in the early years and their scores in later years. In that light, parents might use EQAO scores as an indication of areas where their children need to focus some extra attention.
learning, and even less a portrait of your child as a person. Teachers use a variety of different kinds of tests and assessments throughout the year, in order to get to know our child and his or her potential. Nevertheless, EQAO tests are a reflection of what your child is expected to have learned according to the Ontario curriculum. What’s more, EQAO data over the year show a strong link between students’ scores in the early years and their scores in later years. In that light, parents might use EQAO scores as an indication of areas where their children need to focus some extra attention.
I hear a lot about the rankings published by the Fraser Institute every year. The Duke scores very low. Why is that?
The EQAO results were never intended by the Government to be a way of ranking schools. All schools are different, driven by the different needs
of our students. Some schools serve communities in which there is a greater diversity of student needs. Sometimes, students’ parents speak a first language other than English, making it more challenging for them to provide extra assistance with homework, for instance. Sometimes a group of students may have a higher proportion of students with learning disabilities. It is therefore important to understand the context of students’ schooling, which is not possible with a simple ranking of school years.
of our students. Some schools serve communities in which there is a greater diversity of student needs. Sometimes, students’ parents speak a first language other than English, making it more challenging for them to provide extra assistance with homework, for instance. Sometimes a group of students may have a higher proportion of students with learning disabilities. It is therefore important to understand the context of students’ schooling, which is not possible with a simple ranking of school years.
How will the results of the test scores be used to improve learning at Duke so all students are successful and fulfill their potential?
The principal of each school is responsible with his or her team to develop a School Improvement Plan, which outlines clearly their goals and strategies for improving the their students’ learning outcomes. Once completed and reviewed, the principal presents the plan to parents, normally through the parent or school council, at which time he or she can answer parents’ specific questions about the strategy. This Plan would normally be reviewed and discussed with parents in late fall of the school year. Specifically, we should look to the administration to develop a plan to help improve our students’ performance and understanding of math so that a great number of our students meet or exceed the provincial standard.
What is the Nutrition Program?Duke’s Nutrition Program consists of breakfast, snack and lunch. Each offers nutritious food and follows all Toronto District School Board (TDSB) and government guidelines regarding sugar, salt and fat content. Lunch is offered at a subsidized rate while the other two are open to all children (although donations are always welcome).
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What is the Breakfast Program?
This free club runs daily, 8 to 8:45, although donations are welcome. Both hot and cold items are served, which include whole grains, fruit and low-fat dairy products. The children are supervised during breakfast and released at 8:30 when the school yard becomes supervised. The menu is weekly: Monday is egg sandwich on English muffins day, Tuesday is grilled cheese, Wednesday is pancake day, scrambled eggs are served on Thursdays, and Friday is breakfast pizza day.
What is the Snack Program?
Participating students receive a daily snack consisting of a fruit or vegetable, and either a grain or a dairy product. Snacks are sourced from TDSB’s nutrition services, and meet all government nutritional guidelines regarding sugar, sodium and fat content. TDSB sets the menu and runs on a two-week cycle. Snack items include whole grain mini-bagels, mini-yogurts, fresh fruit and dairy products. Students must sign up; a contribution of $30 per term is welcome.
What is the Lunch Program?
The lunch program is also optional, and provides a healthy, well-balanced hot lunch often made from seasonally appropriate foods. Included is a hot meat and vegetarian entree, fresh vegetables, salad, fruit, and milk or water. Lunch is $3.50 per day, and students can opt in on a daily or monthly basis, selecting the days on the menu forms. And since the kitchen rarely runs out of food, children can bring payment and buy lunch on the day of, although the more notice the kitchen gets, the better it can plan. No food is wasted, and is served on subsequent days.
Where does the food for the Nutrition Program come from?
Ninety per cent of the food, which is made from scratch, is cooked in the Duke’s kitchen from ingredients sourced through board-approved suppliers and in-kind contributions. Duke’s edible garden, a parent and student initiative, also provides the program with fresh produce, including tomatoes, chard, lettuces and herbs, although the menu occasionally includes canned and prepared goods (such as samosas or Jamaican patties on special but rare days).
Where do the ingredients come from and how are they selected?
Every effort is taken to use ingredients that are local, seasonally appropriate and wholesome, although cost constraints prohibit all ingredients from being organic, for instance. Donations of local fresh foods are welcome, as are canned goods though items approaching their expiry date must be turned away.
Who is in the kitchen?
The nutrition program and all of its components are run by a coordinator, who reports to the principal, and an assistant, who are the only two paid staff. The remainder are volunteers who serve the food, wash dishes, and help where needed (sopping up spills!) Staff receive training in food-safety and food-handling. The facilities, menu and procedures are approved by Toronto Public Health (TPH) for cleanliness and dietary standards.
How are the lunches financed?
All three program components are subsidized by grants from the Toronto Foundation for Student Success, the charitable arm of the TDSB. This helps keep costs low, however, donations are welcome, which helps ensure no children are turned away. The remittance of monthly usage reports through the school office helps maintain the level of the grant.
How do parents know what is being served?
The lunch menu is published monthly and the forms are available in the office, the lunch room and on-line. Staff make every effort to make the form available 3-5 days before the beginning of each month.