The Citizen, 2003-05-07, Page 6PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, 2003.
School boards encouraged by test results
By Stew Slater
Special to The Citizen
Both publicly-funded school
boards in Huron and Perth Counties
are encouraged by recently-released
success rates from last October’s
provincially-standardized Grade 10
Ontario Secondary School Literacy
Test (OSSLT), the completion of
which is now mandatory for anyone
seeking an Ontario Secondary
School Diploma (OSSD).
But they’re equally encouraged —
assuming education ministry
funding and support comes through
as expected — about how the
provincial government plans to
accommodate those students who
are repeatedly unable to pass the
two-day, five-hour test of reading
and writing skills.
“The Huron-Perth Catholic
District School Board ... is
encouraged that its Grade 10
students scored above the Ontario
average,” stated a media release last
week from education superintendent
Martha Dutrizac, following the
release of results by the arms-length
government agency, the Education
Quality and Accountability Office
(EQAO), which administers the
tests.
Of 353 eligible Huron-Perth Grade
10 students, 75 per cent passed both
the reading and writing portions of
the test. That compares to 72 per cent
of the Avon Maitland board’s 1,514
eligible Grade 10 students, and 67
per cent of those prcvince-wide.
This year’s Grade 10 students are
the second group — following the
current Grade 11s — for whom the
OSSLT is mandatory. And, facing
the knowledge that they may only
have one more chance to complete
the test prior to their targeted
graduation date, a portion of those
Welcome aboard
Humber journalism student and Lucknow resident Sarah
Mann will be working in the editorial department of The
Citizen (Janice Becker photo)
‘Citizen’ welcomes student
to staff for summer
Citizen editor Bonnie Gropp is
pleased to announce the arrival of
Sarah Mann, to the editorial staff this
“And in my first week here I got to
meet Mickey Mouse. It doesn’t get
much better than that.”
Grade 11s who failed the 2001
OSSLT were successful on a second
attempt.
According to an Avon Maitland
media release, “over 89 per cent of
all eligible students have now
qualified for their OSSD.” Across
Ontario, meanwhile, that figure sits
at 80 per cent.
At the Huron-Perth board, 65
students attempted the test for the
second time last October. Only 11
emerged without a passing grade.
Not surprisingly, there’s concern
across the province about those
students who have endured two
unsuccessful attempts. Judging from
some recent developments, however,
the ruling Conservatives have been
receptive to those concerns.
Last month, the Ernie Eves
government announced funding for
so-called “students at risk.”
According to Huron-Perth chair
Bernard Murray, that description
quite accurately describes students
who are having difficulty with the
OSSLT. Murray welcomes the
government’s recent commitments.
Meanwhile, for the past year,
education ministry officials have
been devising a new Grade 12 course
geared specifically toward those
who haven’t yet passed the OSSLT.
It’s supposed to be implemented by
next September.
According to Murray, students
won’t be forced to enroll in the
course if they haven’t yet passed the
mandatory test by the time they
reach what is supposed to be their
final year of high school. They will
be strongly advised to take the
course instead of risking another
test.
He adds that, if they pass the
course, they’ll still get their OSSD.
But instead of the five-hour, high-
pressure environment of a
standardized test, during which
teachers aren’t allowed to interact
with students, they’ll have the entire
semester.
“That’s great because it takes
away the fear that some students
have about taking a test,” the Huron-
Perth chair commented.
There’s less word on how the
education ministry plans to deal with
the fact that a significantly higher
proportion of Grade 10 students are
successfully passing the writing
portion of the test, compared to the
reading.
Province-wide results show 12 per
cent only passed in writing,
compared to just 4 per cent who only
passed reading. That discrepancy is
mirrored in Huron and Perth, with
the exact same figures applying at
the Avon Maitland board, while the
percentages at the Catholic board are
seven per cent passing only writing
and four per cent passing only
reading.
All Avon Maitland
communications officer Steve Howe
could offer was that the province “is
definitely looking into” the reasons
for that discrepancy.
On a school-by-school basis,
meanwhile, the recent results reveal
some significant ranges between the
Avon Maitland board’s nine high
schools (the Huron-Perth board isn’t
required to release school-by-school
results, since it only has two
secondary schools).
The highest overall success rates
were at Stratford Central Secondary
School, at 82 per cent, and Goderich
District Collegiate Institute, at 81 per
cent. On the low end were Listowel
District Secondary School, Clinton’s
Central Huron Secondary School
and Stratford Northwestern
Secondary School, at 65 per cent, 65
per cent and 67 per cent,
respectively.
Interestingly, it was three other
secondary schools — other than the
three already listed as earning the
board’s lowest success rates — at
which a higher percentage of
students only passed the writing
portion of the test, as compared with
the provincial average of 12 per cent.
At St. Marys DCVI, 17 per cent of
students only passed the writing
portion (DCVI was the only Avon
Maitland school at which there were
zero students who only passed the
reading portion), while the figure for
that category was 16 per cent for
Exeter’s South Huron District High
School and 14 per cent for
Wingham’s F.E. Madill Secondary
School.
Overall success rates (for passing
both reading and writing) were 76
per cent at DCVI, 70 per cent at
South Huron and 72 per cent at
Madill.
At Mitchell District High School,
the overall success rate was 77 per
cent.
THE HEART-HEALTHY
TOP TEN LIST
(NC)-While there’s no such thing
as a “miracle food,” there are
certain foods that everyone should
try to eat more of - fruit,
vegetables, legumes, and whole
grains. Terrific for heart health,
they provide nutrients such as
vitamins, beta carotene, lycopene,
plant sterols, folic acid, and fibre.
1. Broccoli. For vitamin C, beta
carotene, folic acid.
2. Cantaloupe. For vitamins A
and C and beta carotene.
3. Beans or legumes. For protein,
iron, plant sterols, folic acid, and
fibre.
4. Sweet Potatoes. For vitamins
A and C, beta carotene,
potassium, and fibre.
5. Salmon, tuna, rainbow trout.
For omega-3 fatty acids.
6. Spinach, kale, swiss chard.
For vitamins A and C, beta
carotene, calcium, folic acid, and
fibre.
7. Oranges. For vitamin C, folic
acid, and fibre.
8. Tomatoes. For lycopene.
9. Wholegrain breads and cereals.
For vitamin B and fibre.
10. Soybeans and soy products.
For B vitamins, isoflavones, and
plant sterols.
- News Canada
HappyMothersDay
Pamper Mom this Mother's Day i
We have some great gift ideas she will love! ’
Chauncey's Hairstyling•
The Suntanning Parlour
211 Dinsley St., Blyth
Chances are...you'll love it
523-9122.
Established in 1982
summer.
Mann, is a second-year journalism
student at Humber College in
Toronto.
The daughter of Steve and Lynne
Mann of Lucknow, graduated from
F.E. Madill in 2001 and spent a year
at Humber in a general media course
before entering journalism last year.
In her spare time she enjoys
reading, writing short stories,
listening to music, walking, and
spending time with friends and
family.
“I’m looking forward to meeting
people in this area. My dad spent
part of his childhood in and around
Brussels so there is a connection for
me. I am also really excited about
the opportunity to practise what I
have learned so far.”
Sunday, May 11
9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Stickers Family Restaurant
Auburn 526-7759
n u « H n u n u n
Stressing Your
Mother?
Pamper her at Spa Essentials
BECA
Slay
Special
Body Polish &
Spa Facial
$85°° Save $9°°
* Gift Certificates available
YOURSELF
U’RE WORTH IT!
Kelly Clark & Carla Pawitch
Certified Estheticians
Upper Level
211 Dinsley Street, Blyth, Ontario
519-523-4793