News Release
June 15, 2011
For Immediate Release
Dufferin-Peel Catholic secondary school students continue to succeed on Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT)
Results from the March 2011 administration of the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) indicate that Dufferin-Peel students continue to exceed the provincial success rate. This year, 85% of Dufferin-Peel students who wrote the OSSLT for the first time, successfully completed the test. This result represents maintenance of past performance in terms of the proportion of Dufferin-Peel students who passed the test and this is the fifth straight year that Dufferin-Peel students have exceeded the provincial average in OSSLT results.
“Although we remain pleased to see that our students continue to outpace their peers province-wide, the board is focused on increasing the high level of achievement as we move forward,” said Ralph Borrelli, Associate Director, Instructional Services. “The collaboration of school, family and parish is central to supporting the learning needs of all students and we will continue to strengthen this partnership as we strive to ensure each student has every opportunity for success.”
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 OSSLT provides an indication of each student’s achievement of reading and writing skills up to the end of Grade 9.
The March 2011 OSSLT results report on two groups of students: “first-time eligible students” (students who entered Grade 9 during the 2009-2010 school year and any others who were placed in this cohort) and “previously eligible students” (students who entered Grade 9 prior to 2009-2010 and who were not successful during a previous administration). Students who were not successful during a previous administration must successfully complete the OSSLT or, alternatively, the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course (OSSLC). Successful completion of the OSSLT or the OSSLC 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 five administrations of the OSSLT are presented below:
|
First-Time Eligible |
Dufferin-Peel |
Province |
March 2011 |
85% |
83% |
April 2010 |
85% |
84% |
April 2009 |
88% |
85% |
March 2008 |
86% |
84% |
March 2007 |
85% |
84% |
The March 2011 OSSLT results for previously eligible students who wrote the test are presented below:
|
Previously Eligible |
Dufferin-Peel |
Province |
Successfully Completed the OSSLT |
55% |
49% |
Wrote the OSSLT, But Were Not Successful |
45% |
51% |
“Our Catholic schools have continued to provide rich and supportive learning environments in which all students can flourish.” said Marianne Mazzorato, Superintendent of Program. Our next steps are to continue to enhance capacity to support students’ achievement and well-being, 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 OSSLT 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 OSSLT.
The board and school results will be available on the board website at www.dpcdsb.org in the fall of 2011. 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 87,000 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