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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.