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Ministry of Education

McGuinty Government Working To Help All Students Excel In Reading, Writing And Math

             Schools Getting Extra Help To Boost Student Learning
    
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    RICHMOND HILL, ON, Nov. 16  - The McGuinty government is providing
new funding and resources so that thousands of elementary students at almost
800 schools will receive intensive support in reading, writing and math,
announced Education Minister Kathleen Wynne today.
    Students will receive intensive educational support based on proven
techniques to improve student achievement in literacy and numeracy. Teachers
and principals will have opportunities for professional development, and be
encouraged to share successful strategies and research with other schools and
boards.
    "Our government realizes that every child learns differently, that every
child benefits from individual attention, and that schools need specialized
resources so they can help each student reach his or her full potential," said
Wynne. "That's why we're committed to providing Ontario schools with proven
tools and resources that help kids excel in reading, writing and math."
    The government's $25 million investment will target elementary schools
where at least two-thirds of students have achieved below the provincial
standard on Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) tests over the
past three years. However, all schools across the province will have access to
innovative resources and approaches that have been proven to boost student
achievement.
    The Ontario Focused Intervention Partnership combines the Literacy and
Numeracy Secretariat's strategy with the successful Turnaround Teams approach,
which substantially improved student achievement in many schools. In the first
phase of the turnaround program, 84 per cent of schools showed dramatically
improved results.
    The ministry's Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat has developed a
made-in-Ontario strategy based on proven practices in international
jurisdictions such as Australia and Great Britain. Some of these strategies to
improve student achievement include:

    

      -   teachers trained in the latest literacy and numeracy techniques
      -   uninterrupted blocks of class time for reading, writing and math
      -   common tools for assessing student progress
      -   school improvement teams.
    

    "Achieving early success in reading, writing and math can shape the
future of our students for their entire lives," said Bill Hogarth, Director of
Education for the York Region District School Board. "I know that education
leaders across Ontario will thank the Ministry for adding these important
extra resources."
    The government has set a target of 75 per cent of Grade 6 students
meeting or exceeding the provincial standard in reading, writing and math by
2008.
    Provincewide tests from the 2005-06 school year show that overall, 64 per
cent of Ontario Grade 3 and 6 students are meeting or exceeding the provincial
standard in reading, writing and math. This accounts for a 10 percentage point
increase, up from 54 per cent in 2002-03.
    Students are already benefitting from government initiatives intended to
help more elementary students succeed, including:

    

      -   Funding to hire 3,600 teachers to reduce the number of students in
          JK to Grade 3 classes to a maximum of 20 students in 90 per cent of
          classes by 2007-08
      -   Providing a more well-rounded education, with funding to hire 1,600
          elementary specialist teachers in areas such as music, phys-ed and
          the arts
      -   Training more than 12,000 teachers and principals in shared
          reading, and 16,000 in differentiated instruction
      -   Providing every school in the province with more textbooks,
          learning resources and library books.

    "We're building on the tremendous improvement Ontario's kids are making in
reading, writing and math. EQAO tests do not capture the whole story of
learning, but these additional resources will ensure that each of our children
will have a firm foundation for becoming well-rounded citizens, ready and
well-prepared for the future," said Wynne.

    Disponible en français

                              www.edu.gov.on.ca
                         www.resultsontario.gov.on.ca



    Backgrounder
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       SCHOOL BOARDS RECEIVE $25 MILLION TO BOOST STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

    The Ontario Focused Intervention Partnership (OFIP) will help all
elementary schools boost their students' achievement in reading, writing and
math. The government has set a target of 75 per cent of students meeting or
exceeding the provincial standard in reading, writing and math by 2008.
    The $25 million OFIP program includes two components:

    1.  The first part is targeted toward schools in which two-thirds of
        students do not meet the provincial standard in Grade 3 reading
        tests. This program will provide intensive support and the services
        of student achievement officers to help about 800 schools raise the
        level of students' achievement.

    2.  The second part of this program supports boards in developing a
        strategy to increase their internal capacity for continuous
        improvement across all schools. It provides additional resources for
        schools in which students are already achieving at the provincial
        standard to raise the level of student achievement even more.

    OFIP helps schools implement strategies that have a maximum impact on
improvement. These strategies may include uninterrupted blocks of time for
reading, writing and math, using common assessment tools, and providing
professional learning support for staff. The program builds on the successful
strategies of the ministry's Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat and the
Turnaround Teams program, which has substantially improved student achievement
in many Ontario schools.
    Double the number of schools in Ontario are achieving at or above the
provincial standard since the McGuinty government came to office in 2003.
Nearly 900 schools, or one-quarter of elementary schools in Ontario, had at
least 75 per cent of students achieving at the provincial standard in Grade 6
reading in 2005-06. In 2002-03, fewer than 450 schools met the provincial
standard in reading.

    Disponible en français

                              www.edu.gov.on.ca
                         www.resultsontario.gov.on.ca