HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2009-04-01, Page 21News
SPS identified as `fastest improving school
Elementary schools in Seaforth and
Ethel were identified by the Fraser
Institute, as it released its latest an-
, nual ranking of Ontario schools on
Sunday, March 1.
Seaforth Public School and Grey
Central Public School were on a list
of 20 facilities referred to by the so-
cio-economic thinktank as being lo-
cated "in. neighbourhoods that have
among the lowest average parental
incomes" in the province, yet are
among "the fastest improving" in
terms of student achievement.
"This clearly shows that elementa-
ry= schools don't need to be located in
wealthy neighbourhoods to improve
and be successful," said Peter Cow-
ley, the Fraser Institute's director
of school performance studies, in a
news release.
"Teachers and administrators • in
these schools have found ways to
beat the odds and help their students
do better than might be predicted by
their families' average income."
The independent organization,
with offices in Calgary, Vancouver,
Toronto, Montreal and the United
States, undertakes regular analyses
of statistics related to such topics as
education, healthcare, taxation and
immigration. •
It is particularly well-known across
Canada for its annual comparisons
of schools and healthcare providers.
According to the organization's
website, located at www.fraserinsti-
tute.org (where you can also find the
latest "Report Card on Ontario's El-
ementary Schools"), determinations
about the student success of each
Ontario elementary school is based
on the school's results in the annual,
provincially -standardized Grade 3
and Grade 6 tests from the Educa-
tion Quality and Accountability Of-
fice (EQAO).
The 2009 schools ~eport card shows
the greatest four-year improvement
in EQAO scores occurred at Sacred
Heart elementary school in Espano-
la — one of the schools on the list of
20 from areas with below-average
parental income. It went from an
EQAO success rating of 2.5 in 2004
to 7.5 in 2008. The report lists aver-
age parental income in Espanola as
$47,300.
Seaforth improved from a rating
of 5.3 to 7.3 over the four years. And
Grey Central improved from 2.8 to
5.5.
Average parental income levels for
the two schools are listed as $48,700
and $45,400, respectively.
John Herbert, assessment and
evaluation coordinator for the Avon
Maitland board,. rejected the notion
of comparing schools based on in-
come levels gleaned from Statistics
Canada census data.
He noted the Statscan numbers
track income in the community, but
not necessarily among families with
.children in the schools.
Herbert said there are a number of
A,�'��voon Maitland schoolsinthe Fraser
,1. 1.441 `'�iC;,T * ii��Phoill �I :art ttit ' v ,�
parental incomes is listed as "not
available."
Overall, students at Zurich. Public
School achieved the most significant
four-year improvement in Huron
and Perth Counties. Between 2004-
08, the EQAO success rating at that
school rose from 3.9 to 7.8. On the
other side of the coin, success ratings
at Listowel Central Public School fell
from 6.0 to 3.3.
The highest EQAO success rating
in 2008 alone in the two counties
was at St. Aloysius Catholic elemen-
tary school in Stratford — at 9.5 (up
The Huron Expositor • April 1, 2009 Page 21
•
by Fraser Institute
from 8.0 in 2004).
Herbert said the Avon Maitland
board "saw some tremendous im-
provements" in achievement levels
in the Writing portion of last year's
EQAO tests due to a heavy focus on
that area. But he admit-
ted that type of focus can sometimes
lead to decreases in achievement lev-
els in other areas — something that
happened in some schools last year
in Reading and, to a lesser extent,
Math.
He added that, even in Grey Cen-
tral and Seaforth, there were less -
than -satisfactory improvements in
some areas. But overall, the schools
excelled.
"I like to echo what the EQAO has
said repeatedly," the Avon Maitland
administrator said, when asked
about potential comparisons based
on the Fraser Institute report. "It's
all about allowing schools ' to see
where they are compared to the pro-
vincial average ... It's nothing about
ranking schools, and if we start to
use these figures in that fashion, it's
nothing about helping students."
By Stew Slater
remember
RELAY FOR LIFE in Huron County (Goderich)
June 19 - 20, 2009
All are welcome to attend a
TEAM CAPTAINS' RALLY AND INFORMATION SESSION
Monday, April 6
7:00- 8:00 p.m.
For more information or to register a team, visit cancer.ca/relay
call 1 800 294-0086
or
visit the Toronto Dominion Bank in Goderich
to pick up your Team Captains' kit
A celebration of survival, a tribute to the lives of
loved ones and a night of fun, fdendship and
fundraising to beat cancer.