Schools get higher math and english grades

Ken Johnston
editorial@RainyRiverRecord.com

Students at Rainy River District Public Schools showed a marked improvement when the test results for the provincial Grades 3 and 6 reading, writing and arithmetic came in last week.

Terry Elwood at the RRDS board office said, “We are very proud of the results the students achieved.” They improved over the previous year and also surpassed the provincial average in most areas.

Elwood explained that there are four levels of achievement used to measure the board’s results. Level 1 is low, level 2 is barely a pass and levels 3 and 4 are considered to be good to excellent. Last year only 40% of RRDSB grade 3 students were at the 3 and 4 levels in Reading. That was nine points below the provincial average. This year 54 % of them were in 3 and 4.

In writing, grade 3 students declined two percent from 56% in 2000 to 54% in 2001. However Elwood noted that is still higher than the provincial average from the previous year.

In math, grade 3 students improved to 55% from 52%. However that is below the provincial average of 57%.

Grade six students also yielded a marked improvement in reading going up to 53% from 44% last year. The provincial avg. last year was 50% in the 3 and 4 levels.

In writing the grade six students made even bigger gains, improving to 50% from 37%. The prov. avg. was 48% last year.

In math results added up to a 16% increase at 55% from 39% the year before.

That to is above the prov. avg. in 2000 which was 51%.

Elwood said that when taking the level 2 students into account the numbers look very good for the schools served by the board.

He attributed the improvements to a team effort, both by the students and the staff and board office. “The students work very hard to bring up their individual scores and through the results the teachers see in what areas work is needed,” said Elwood. He also noted that it is not just the teachers and students working hard in grade 3 and 6, but all the grades from Kindergarten to 8.

Riverview School Principal Terry Ogden said that he sees the results not as a negative but as a positive tool to be used to improve the students’ skills.

Elwood is optimistic that over the course of the next 4-5 years that the numbers will continue to improve until the schools see 75-80% of the students in the 3 and 4 range.

The tests are conducted each year at the end of grade 3 and grade 6. Elwood said this was the third year of the program in Ontario. While he said the board is not in the policy of comparing schools in the district, he noted there are areas where some schools need more improvement than others and that all schools have been working hard to bring the scores up.