The Lambton Kent District School Board is highlighting long-term growth in student achievement following the release of the latest Education Quality and Accountability Office results.
While annual assessment results can fluctuate from year to year, particularly within individual grades and schools, the board says a review of EQAO data over the past five years provides a broader picture of student learning trends. Since the province transitioned to online assessments in 2021-22, the board says it has shown improvement, reflecting the ongoing efforts of students, staff, families and school communities. The board’s analysis shows upward trends in most assessment categories over that period.
“We know that a single year of data represents only one snapshot in time,” said LKDSB superintendent of education Ben Hazzard. “When we examine results over a longer period, we see encouraging evidence that our students are making progress and that the investments our schools have made in literacy, numeracy and student success are having a positive impact.”
The board says student progress occurs across all achievement levels, and while public attention often focuses on the percentage of students meeting or exceeding the provincial standard, growth among students working below that benchmark is equally important.
“Behind every percentage point are students who are learning, growing and gaining confidence,” said LKDSB chief executive officer Gary Girardi. “We remain focused on ensuring every student has the support they need to succeed from Kindergarten to Graduation.”
The board says numerous LKDSB schools achieved results that exceeded provincial averages in one or more assessment areas, and it hopes to use those results to share effective practices across the district. While the board acknowledges there is more work to do, it says the longer-term data shows student achievement moving in the right direction, strengthened by student participation rates in EQAO assessments that exceeded provincial averages across assessment areas.
