Standardized test scores in Grade 9 math improved last year with the Hastings and Prince Edward School Board.
Preliminary, unofficial data compiled from Individual Student Reports for the HPEDSB Grade 9 Math EQAO showed encouraging system-wide gains from the 2024-2025 school year.
The percentage of students at standard (Level 3/4 – scoring at least 70% on the test) increased by 9.5% (from 36% to 46% ) and the percentage of students at Level 1 decreased from 16% to 9%.
PECI demonstrated a dramatic improvement with a 27% increase in students at standard (from 18% to 45%) and a significant decrease in Level 1 students (from 32% to 10%).
Officials at PECI made a special presentation at Monday night’s meeting of the Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board to highlight their path to greater success.
The school focus at PECI was on building a community of learners in math through a thinking classroom approach.
Students worked in collaboration at whiteboards where they could show their thinking in two different ways. This allowed the students to show the models they were taught.
Officials with the board say they will continue to refine, sustain, and share these successful data-informed practices across classrooms and schools within the system for increased coherence and impact.
This includes expanding the focus on math thinking across the system, as thinking questions represent the greatest opportunity for growth (with an average of only 45% correct answers in the last three years for HPE Grade 9 Math EQAO results).
(PAUL MARTIN)
