June 10, 2009
DSBN Students Continue Steady Progress on OSSLT
For the second straight year, students at the District School Board of Niagara have improved their performance on the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT). Of the more than 2,800 students who wrote the test this year, 83% were successful, a 1% increase over last year’s results and a 2% increase over the Board’s 2007 results.
“We are encouraged by these results, which reveal a trend of steady improvement,” said Warren Hoshizaki, DSBN Director of Education. “At the DSBN, we believe that all children can learn and we are committed to creating the conditions for all students to be successful in school. To that end, we have implemented a Board-wide focus on literacy, and we will continue supporting students with the instructional strategies and individualized attention necessary to build students’ confidence and improve their skills.”
Two schools in particular stand out among the numerous success stories apparent in this year’s results. St. Catharines Collegiate saw a dramatic 14% improvement in the number of students successful on the OSSLT, leading to an overall score of 76%. Thorold Secondary saw a similar increase of 13% to 80% overall. In addition, six DSBN schools, A.N. Myer, E.L. Crossley, Eden, Grimsby, Sir Winston Churchill and South Lincoln, had success rates of at least 92%.
To support the Board’s focus on literacy, Superintendent of School Support Services Carol Germyn said that staff placed additional emphasis on helping students develop the necessary reading, writing and comprehension skills to be successful on the test. “These programs helped staff identify student needs, allowing them to tailor specific programs and supports to benefit students,” said Germyn.
DSBN Chair Kevin Maves applauded students for their hard work and continued improvement on the OSSLT. However, he also noted that the test “is just one tool used to assess student learning. It is important to consider these results in conjunction with other forms of evaluation, such as classroom work, teacher observations and other important school data. It is this combination of assessments that give us a clearer picture of student learning and allows the Board to continually build on the plan we have in place to increase student success.”
Students wrote the test, which measures their skills in reading, writing and communicating according to the Ontario Curriculum Standards, in March.
For highlights and school by school results, please click here.