Logo: Avon Maitland District School Board
Scores in all academic subjects are down across public schools in Huron and Perth counties, according to the latest Education Quality & Accountability Office (EQAO) results.
The latest 2021-22 results are the first since 2019, examine math, reading, and writing skills among Grades 3, 6, and 9 students across the province.
Officials with the Avon Maitland District School Board says the lower scores are on par with trends across the province, following the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a news release, the AMDSB says many factors played a role in the lower scores.
“Given the impact of school closures, self-directed (asynchronous) and online (synchronous) learning, the inability for our board to host regular educator professional learning, labour shortages contributing to the need to re-assign central support staff, and the overall impact on mental health, the results are not surprising and were even predicted,” the release says.
The AMDSB says Grade 9 math scores were “much lower than the trajectory of growth enjoyed prior to the pandemic.”
The Ministry of Education has acknowledged that scores have fallen significantly across the province and they have made a commitment to provide more resources as part of “Ontario’s Plan to Catch Up”.
This plan includes funding for tutoring for some students and a promised Math Recovery Plan.