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2011-2012 EQAO Results

Media Release - September 12, 2012

On September 12, the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) released the results of the 2011-2012 primary and junior assessments in reading, writing and mathematics.

Primary (Grade 3) assessments show an increase in the number of participating students achieving at or above the provincial standard (level 3 or 4) in writing, while reading and mathematics assessments for the KPDSB show a decrease from the results of 2010-2011. Of students writing the assessments, 55% in reading (down 8 percentage points), 62% in writing (up 1 percentage point), and 50% in mathematics (down 12 percentage points) are achieving at or above the provincial standard.

Junior (Grade 6) assessments saw no change in writing results and slight decreases in both reading and mathematics assessments from 2010-2011. Of students writing the assessments (participating students), 73% in reading (down 1 percentage point), 64% in writing (no change), and 49% in mathematics (down 3 percentage points) are achieving at or above the provincial standard.

Students in this cohort (students in Grade 3 in the 2008-2009 school year and in Grade 6 for the 2011-2012 school year) have shown impressive improvement in their scores in both reading and writing. Of students writing the assessments, results for reading have increased by 25 percentage points (from 48% in 2008-2009 to 73% in 2011-2012) and results for writing have increased by 11 percentage points (from 53% to 64%). Mathematics results for this cohort have decreased by 14% (from 63% to 49%).

Also released today are the Grade 9 mathematic assessment results for 2011-2012.

Of participating students in the Grade 9 mathematics assessment, 32% of applied students are achieving at or above the provincial standard, a decrease of 6 percentage points from 2010-2011. In academic mathematics, the percentage of participating students achieving at or above the provincial standard decreased to 77%, also down 6 percentage points from the 2010-2011 results.

Jack McMaster, Director of Education, stated “The results indicate that we continue to impact positively on student achievement as the growth in achievement for our students from Grade 3 to Grade 6 has consistently improved in reading and writing in the last few years. Students learning within our system for five consecutive years or more are experiencing much greater success. We recognize the need to develop strategies to support students who experience movement and are new to our system. We share the same concerns with other boards across the province with regard to mathematics.”

KPDSB Readies for New School Year

Media Release - August 14, 2012

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board is ready to welcome students and families back for another school year.

Preparation during the summer months has the ipads for primary students, and the netbooks for all grade 4-12 students, ready for use. Implementation will begin for staff and students in a couple of weeks.

Thanks to dedicated maintenance/caretaking and custodial staff, schools have had minor refurbishments over the summer and our facilities are looking great. Students and staff are coming back to clean and polished buildings and classrooms.

With the start of the school year quickly approaching, the KPDSB is moving into negotiations with local bargaining units. While media coverage from Toronto may indicate there are issues locally, according to Director of Education, Jack McMaster, that is not the case. “Our Board is currently working toward local deals within the parameters that we agreed to with our local bargaining units last spring. We negotiate within the law as defined by the Labour Relations Act, and we view negotiating as a process between two parties that ultimately strengthens relationships.”

The 2012-2013 school year looks to be very exciting for our staff and students, and Trustees and Senior Administration welcome our staff and students back for another great school year.

McMaster said “I am really enthusiastic about start up and continuing to build our culture of caring and collaboration; a culture built on good relationships. I believe that the next school year will bring further collaboration within and between our schools and that student learning opportunities will be enhanced because of the desire by all of our staff to make a difference.”

KPDSB Recieves $1.1 Million from MOE to Enhance Full-Day Kindergarten Spaces in Kenora

Media Release - June 25, 2012

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board has been allocated a total of $1,139,239 by the Ministry of Education to construct Full-Day Early Learning – Kindergarten Program (FDELKP) classrooms at King George VI Public School and Valleyview Public School in Kenora. The rooms are expected to be complete for the 2013-2014 school year.

The allocations were received because the schools lack sufficient purpose-built Kindergarten rooms for their anticipated full-day Kindergarten enrolments in 2013-2014.

At Valleyview, the new Kindergarten room will be part of an addition to the school. The addition may also include additional classrooms to accommodate the planned French Immersion program that will be introduced for the 2013-2014 school year.

At King George, an existing classroom in the school will be renovated. One possibility is to create a new day care space out of a classroom and return the current day care space to its former function as a Kindergarten room so that both Kindergarten rooms will be adjacent to each other.

Jack McMaster, Director of Education, said “Our full-day Kindergarten program will be enhanced with these funds from the Ministry. The funds for additional space at Valleyview will allow for creative planning should the French Immersion program come to fruition. We look forward to creating space at Valleyview and refurbishing space at King George in order to start our young learners off with wonderful learning conditions.”

Crolancia Public School in Pickle Lake Celebrates First Graduating Grade 12 Class

Media Release - June 25, 2012

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board is pleased to acknowledge the first ever graduating Grade 12 class from Crolancia Public School in Pickle Lake.

On June 20, three graduates crossed the floor with nearly 80 community members cheering them on. Katie Cox, Coral Dalzell and Kayla Newman are the first Grade 12 graduates in the school’s history.

Prior to the 2010-2011 school year, when the KPDSB expanded the school’s programing to include secondary classes, students from the Pickle Lake area were required to leave their homes and move to other towns to attend high school, often requiring them to board with another family.

Work continues at the school to expand secondary programing and administration is reaching out to students in Pickle Lake and the surrounding area who were unsuccessful in pursuing their Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) when they had to leave the community. Trustees have approved several capital budget projects that will enable staff at the school to offer new technology courses in an industrial arts shop, as well as new nutrition courses in a family studies lab.

Doris St. Jules, Principal of Crolancia Public School, said “The community members of Pickle Lake have been extremely supportive of our school and are very happy that we are able to provide their children with a solid high school education at home where they can be supported by their families, including their extended family members. We are very pleased that our trustees also support our programing and understand that we need to be able to offer a diverse program. These three students have lit the torch that will shine brightly for all other students following in their footsteps.”

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