Waterloo Region Grade 9 math results drop in EQAO testing
Scores at level 3 and 4 down, but large majority of students get passing marks
Waterloo Region Grade 9 math results have dropped from last year, according to information from Ontario's Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO).
According to the EQAO, 81 per cent of Grade 9 students are achieving at levels 3 and 4 for academic mathematics. That represents a drop of two percentage points from 2014. In applied math, the results were four percentage points lower than 2014. Now, only 40 per cent of applied math students are achieving scores at levels 3 and 4.
"We recognize that our results for Grade 9 Mathematics have declined, in both academic and applied," Angela Mercier, superintendent of student achievement and well-being, said in a release. "The purpose of EQAO data is to identify areas of focus."
Standard is 3
The provincial standard is Level 3, which the EQAO defines as students who get math marks in the 70 to 79 per cent range. A student who reaches level 3 is assumed to have demonstrated most of all of the math skills expected for Grade 9.
According to the Waterloo Region District School Board, about 4100 Grade 9 students participated in the assessments.
Highlights
- 93 per cent of students in applied math achieved a passing level.
- 99.5 per cent of students in academic math achieved a passing level.
According to the Waterloo Region District School Board, more Grade 9 students are taking academic math now.
In 2015, 75 per cent of Grade 9 students enrolled in academic math and 25 per cent in applied math, compared to the 2011 school year when 69 per cent of students were enrolled in academic math and 31 per cent in applied math.