ONTARIO TESTING

June 22, 2001
Ontario expands province-wide testing

VAUGHAN - The Ontario government is introducing new tests and testing questions in core subjects from Grades 3 to 11, Education Minister Janet Ecker announced today.

The new testing will begin in the 2002-2003 school year, and it will be phased in over five years. In the first year, students will have new province-wide testing in Science in Grades 4 and 7, and in Social Studies (History and Geography) in Grades 5 and 8. The testing will be expanded to other grades over five years and will also include English and Math.

"These tests will help teachers to determine how well students are learning the material," Ecker said. "They will also help teachers across the province to consistently evaluate students' learning and help the teachers determine where improvements need to be made."

The new tests will be developed by the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) to assist teachers in their regular assessment of students.The tests will be delivered by the students' classroom teachers and the test results will count toward students' final grades.

The new tests are designed to complement the standardized tests currentlyconducted by the EQAO, an arm's-length testing agency. The EQAO will continue to conduct province-wide standardized tests in Grades 3, 6and 9 and administer the Grade 10 Literacy Test in order to measure student achievement at the provincial level.

The schedule for the new testing is:

• 2002-03: the addition of Science and Technology in Grade 4, Social Studies in Grade 5, Science and Technology in Grade 7 and Social Studies in Grade 8
• 2003-04: the addition of Language in Grade 4, Math in Grade 5, Language in Grade 7 and Math in Grade 8
• 2004-05: the addition of Science in Grade 9
• 2005-06: the addition of History in Grade 10
• 2006-07: the addition of English in Grade 11 and Math in Grade 11.

At the secondary level, students will take the new tests at the end of their courses, and results will count for 20 per cent of a student's final mark.

At the elementary level, teachers will give tests that include items they select from curriculum-based questions developed by the EQAO. Teachers will have the flexibility to administer the test questions as part oftheir regular student assessments. Results from this testing will countfor 20 per cent of a student' s mark each term.

This initiative is part of the Harris government' s 1999 election commitmentto develop and introduce student tests on core subjects, tied to the new curriculum, in order to give parents and teachers easily understood information about students' progress. The estimated cost for the expanded testing, once fully implemented, is $16 million annually.

"Our government is determined to ensure that students receive a good education," said Ecker. "We have set higher standards and tests are an important way to help students meet them."

Implementation Schedule for Comprehensive Student Testing

*First year of implementation