News Release
June 10, 2009
For Immediate Release
Continued Literacy Gains for Students and Schools in Dufferin-Peel
Results from the April 2009 administration of the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) indicate continued improvement, with a 2 percent increase in the number of Dufferin-Peel students who passed the test from the previous administration in March 2008. This year, 88% of Dufferin-Peel students who wrote the OSSLT for the first time successfully completed the test, compared with a pass rate of 85% for students across the province writing the test for the first time.
“Dufferin-Peel’s continued growth in OSSLT results and maintenance of performance above the provincial average represents excellent news for our school communities. We remain very pleased by our students’ on-going high level of achievement for five consecutive years and celebrate the success that they have achieved,” said Ralph Borrelli, Associate Director, Instructional Services. “The collaboration of school, family and parish has continued to focus on ensuring support for all students, particularly those at risk of not passing the test. The efforts of these Catholic school partners have allowed our schools to maintain a positive and supportive learning environment that is highly conducive to improved achievement.”
The April 2009 OSSLT results report on two groups of students: “first-time eligible students” (students who entered Grade 9 during the 2007-2008 school year and any others who were placed in this cohort) and “previously eligible students” (students who entered Grade 9 prior to 2007-2008 and who have not successfully completed the test). Students who were not successful during a previous administration must successfully complete the Literacy Test or, alternatively, the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course. Successful completion of the Literacy Test or the Literacy Course is one of the thirty-two requirements of the Ontario Secondary School Diploma.
The results for first-time eligible students who wrote and passed the test in the last seven administrations of the Literacy Test are presented below:
|
First-Time Eligible |
Dufferin-Peel |
Province |
April 2009 |
88 % |
85 % |
March 2008 |
86 % |
84 % |
March 2007 |
85 % |
84 % |
March 2006 |
86 % |
84 % |
October 2004 |
84 % |
82 % |
October 2003 |
75 % |
77 % |
|
October 2002 |
67 % |
72 % |
|
February 2002 |
76 % |
75 % |
The April 2009 Literacy Test results for previously eligible students are presented below:
|
Previously Eligible |
Dufferin-Peel |
Province |
| Successfully Completed the OSSLT |
58% |
54% |
| Wrote the OSSLT But Were Not Successful |
42% |
46% |
“Our Catholic schools have continued to provide rich and supporting learning environments in which all students can flourish. This year’s improvement in the Literacy test results provides clear evidence that our elementary and secondary schools have helped a greater proportion of our students to experience success in literacy.” commented Marianne Mazzorato, Superintendent of Program. “As a board, our next steps are to continue to enhance capacity to support all of our students, while focusing on ways to ensure that the specific learning needs of each student are met by his or her school community.”
Practices in place in Dufferin-Peel schools that continue to prove successful include: a focus on literacy at the elementary level, prior to Grade 9; delivering literacy instruction across the curriculum in Grade 9; providing all Grade 9 students with an OSSLT simulation opportunity and a Success Tips booklet; offering additional learning opportunities to Grade 10 students through After School and Summer Literacy programs; and providing explicit instructional preparation over the first and second semesters to support improved student achievement in reading and writing in all courses.
Dufferin-Peel is in the process of analyzing the Literacy Test results in greater detail to provide better support to schools, parents and students in order to ensure that more students are better prepared to pass the test on their first attempt. Each school has its own literacy plan, which will be reviewed in the context of the test results, to improve students’ reading and writing skills in all subject areas. School plans include strategies to assist all students, including remediation for students who did not successfully complete the Literacy Test.
The OSSLT is conducted annually by the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO), an independent agency with the mandate to ensure greater accountability and to help improve the quality of education. The Literacy Test provides an indication of each student’s achievement of reading and writing skills up to the end of Grade 9.
Individual school results will be available on the board website at www.dpcdsb.org in the fall of 2008. Additional information on the test can be obtained through the EQAO web site at www.eqao.com.
The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board is one of largest and most diverse school districts in Ontario, with approximately 88,000 students in 145 Catholic schools throughout Mississauga, Brampton, Caledon and Orangeville. With over 10,000 employees, the board is also one of the largest employers in the region. It is the goal of the board to provide quality education to students in a setting which fosters Catholic values and beliefs.
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For more information, please contact:
Marianne Mazzorato Bruce Campbell
Superintendent, General Manager,
Program Communications &Community Relations
Dufferin-Peel Catholic DSB Dufferin-Peel Catholic DSB
(905) 890-0708 ext. 24261 (905) 890-0708, ext. 24466 or (905) 609-1480
marianne.mazzorato@dpcdsb.org bruce.campbell@dpcdsb.org