Here is how the OCDSB schools ranked according to the Fraser Institute school “report card” that was released on Friday.
As a statistician, I do have some serious issues with rankings like these – much like the EQAO testing process itself – there is no context presented in order to interpret these numbers fully. Unknown are factors that can greatly influence a schools performance, like:
- the percentage of students in ESL programs
- proportion of special needs students
- family income and household education
- and others…
The Fraser Institute says the following on their website:
By combining a variety of relevant, objective indicators of school performance into one easily accessible public web site, the school report cards allow teachers, parents, school administrators, students, and taxpayers to analyze and compare the academic performance of individual schools in an attempt to answer the question, “How are our schools doing?”.
Fine. Take this at face value, but the danger is that some parents will use tools like these as their ONLY basis of judgement about a particlar school. THAT is where I have a problem. Still, this is a tool that might be combined with others to help make decisions about the relative merits of one school over another. In that case, rankings like these can have some limited value.
Anyhow, here is the list. It would be interesting if someone organized these according to zone…
Rank in the most recent five years | School Name | City | 2009-10 Rating | Rating in the most recent five years | |||
1 | 44/2733 | 25/2327 | Katimavik Elementary School | Kanata | 9.4 | 9.4 | |
2 | 70/2733 | 107/2327 | Knoxdale Public School | Nepean | 9.1 | 8.4 | |
3 | 82/2733 | 514/2327 |
|
Ottawa | 9 | 7.2 | |
4 | 99/2733 | 107/2327 | Devonshire Community Public School | Ottawa | 8.9 | 8.4 | |
5 | 122/2733 | 48/2327 | Woodroffe Avenue Public School | Ottawa | 8.8 | 8.8 | |
6 | 139/2733 | 171/2327 | Briargreen Public School | Nepean | 8.7 | 8.1 | |
7 | 229/2733 | n/a | Hilson Avenue Public School | Ottawa | 8.3 | n/a | |
8 | 262/2733 | n/a | Osgoode Public School | Osgoode | 8.2 | n/a | |
9 | 288/2733 | 292/2327 | Elmdale Public School | Ottawa | 8.1 | 7.7 | |
10 | 316/2733 | 142/2327 | Stephen Leacock Public School | Kanata | 8 | 8.2 | |
11 | 355/2733 | n/a | Steve MacLean Public School | Gloucester | 7.9 | n/a | |
12 | 396/2733 | 259/2327 | W.O. Mitchell Elementary School | Kanata | 7.8 | 7.8 | |
13 | 423/2733 | 331/2327 | Broadview Public School | Ottawa | 7.7 | 7.6 | |
14 | 423/2733 | 411/2327 | Adrienne Clarkson Elementary School | Ottawa | 7.7 | 7.4 | |
15 | 423/2733 | n/a | Roch Carrier ES | Kanata | 7.7 | n/a | |
16 | 459/2733 | 221/2327 | Rockcliffe Park Public School | Ottawa | 7.6 | 7.9 | |
17 | 459/2733 | 812/2327 | Blossom Park Public School | Gloucester | 7.6 | 6.7 | |
18 | 508/2733 | 1076/2327 |
|
Ottawa | 7.5 | 6.3 | |
19 | 552/2733 | 331/2327 | Mutchmor Public School | Ottawa | 7.4 | 7.6 | |
20 | 552/2733 | 331/2327 | W. Erskine Johnston Public School | Kanata | 7.4 | 7.6 | |
21 | 601/2733 | 142/2327 |
|
Ottawa | 7.3 | 8.2 | |
22 | 601/2733 | 292/2327 | Jack Donohue Public School | Kanata | 7.3 | 7.7 | |
23 | 601/2733 | 567/2327 | Castor Valley Elementary School | Greely | 7.3 | 7.1 | |
24 | 601/2733 | 1137/2327 | D. Roy Kennedy Public School | Ottawa | 7.3 | 6.2 | |
25 | 601/2733 | 1208/2327 |
|
Orléans | 7.3 | 6.1 | |
26 | 767/2733 | 936/2327 | Berrigan Elementary School | Nepean | 7 | 6.5 | |
27 | 767/2733 | 1262/2327 | Huntley Centennial Public School | Carpion | 7 | 6 | |
28 | 767/2733 | n/a | Farley Mowat Public School | Ottawa | 7 | n/a | |
29 | 828/2733 | 936/2327 | John Young Elementary School | Kanata | 6.9 | 6.5 | |
30 | 964/2733 | 567/2327 | Fallingbrook Community Elementary School | Ottawa | 6.7 | 7.1 | |
31 | 964/2733 | 1137/2327 | Churchill Alternative School | Ottawa | 6.7 | 6.2 | |
32 | 964/2733 | 1498/2327 | Meadowlands Public School | Nepean | 6.7 | 5.6 | |
33 | 1025/2733 | 873/2327 | Castlefrank Elementary School | Kanata | 6.6 | 6.6 | |
34 | 1025/2733 | 936/2327 | Henry Larsen Elementary School | Gloucester | 6.6 | 6.5 | |
35 | 1025/2733 | 936/2327 | Roland Michener Public School | Kanata | 6.6 | 6.5 | |
36 | 1025/2733 | 1324/2327 | Vincent Massey Public School | Ottawa | 6.6 | 5.9 | |
37 | 1114/2733 | 465/2327 | Parkwood Hills Public School | Nepean | 6.5 | 7.3 | |
38 | 1114/2733 | 1137/2327 | Trillium Elementary School | Orléans | 6.5 | 6.2 | |
39 | 1114/2733 | 1208/2327 | Pleasant Park Public School | Ottawa | 6.5 | 6.1 | |
40 | 1185/2733 | 1208/2327 | A. Lorne Cassidy Elementary School | Stittsville | 6.4 | 6.1 | |
41 | 1185/2733 | 2009/2327 |
|
Ottawa | 6.4 | 4.3 | |
42 | 1244/2733 | 1983/2327 |
|
Ottawa | 6.3 | 4.4 | |
43 | 1244/2733 | n/a | South March Public School | Kanata | 6.3 | n/a | |
44 | 1358/2733 | 873/2327 | Stonecrest Elementary School | Woodlawn | 6.1 | 6.6 | |
45 | 1358/2733 | 1208/2327 | Maple Ridge Elementary School | Orléans | 6.1 | 6.1 | |
46 | 1476/2733 | 1262/2327 | Leslie Park Public School | Nepean | 5.9 | 6 | |
47 | 1476/2733 | 1498/2327 | Bridlewood Community Elementary School | Kanata | 5.9 | 5.6 | |
48 | 1601/2733 | 567/2327 | Orleans Wood Elementary School | Gloucester | 5.7 | 7.1 | |
49 | 1601/2733 | 1389/2327 | Sawmill Creek Elementary School | Gloucester | 5.7 | 5.8 | |
50 | 1601/2733 | 1607/2327 | Alta Vista Public School | Ottawa | 5.7 | 5.4 | |
51 | 1674/2733 | 1549/2327 | Elgin Street Public School | Ottawa | 5.6 | 5.5 | |
52 | 1674/2733 | n/a | Avalon Public School | Orléans | 5.6 | n/a | |
53 | 1794/2733 | 936/2327 | Century Public School | Nepean | 5.4 | 6.5 | |
54 | 1846/2733 | 1549/2327 | Greely Elementary School | Greely | 5.3 | 5.5 | |
55 | 1889/2733 | 1652/2327 | Robert Bateman Public School | Ottawa | 5.2 | 5.3 | |
56 | 1889/2733 | n/a | Centennial Public School | Ottawa | 5.2 | n/a | |
57 | 1944/2733 | 1778/2327 | Roberta Bondar Public School | Ottawa | 5.1 | 5 | |
58 | 1944/2733 | n/a | Dunning-Foubert Elementary School | Orléans | 5.1 | n/a | |
59 | 1987/2733 | 567/2327 | Dunlop Public School | Ottawa | 5 | 7.1 | |
60 | 1987/2733 | n/a | York Street Public School | Ottawa | 5 | n/a | |
61 | 2098/2733 | 1778/2327 | Riverview Alternative School | Ottawa | 4.7 | 5 | |
62 | 2098/2733 | n/a | Cambridge Street Community Public School | Ottawa | 4.7 | n/a | |
63 | 2316/2733 | 1607/2327 |
|
Nepean | 4.1 | 5.4 | |
64 | 2356/2733 | 2009/2327 | Hawthorne Public School | Ottawa | 4 | 4.3 | |
65 | 2414/2733 | 2113/2327 | Charles H. Hulse Public School | Ottawa | 3.8 | 3.9 | |
66 | 2434/2733 | 1954/2327 | Elizabeth Park Public School | Gloucester | 3.7 | 4.5 | |
67 | 2477/2733 | 1778/2327 | Heritage Public School | Navan | 3.5 | 5 | |
68 | 2492/2733 | 2191/2327 | W.E. Gowling Public School | Ottawa | 3.4 | 3.5 | |
69 | 2509/2733 | n/a | Queen Elizabeth Public School | Ottawa | 3.3 | n/a | |
70 | 2618/2733 | 2223/2327 | Connaught Public School | Ottawa | 2.5 | 3.2 | |
71 | 2618/2733 | 2305/2327 |
|
Vanier | 2.5 | 2.1 | |
72 | 2633/2733 | 2147/2327 | Arch Street Public School | Ottawa | 2.4 | 3.8 | |
73 | 2639/2733 | 2320/2327 | Queen Mary Street Public School | Ottawa | 2.3 | 1.4 | |
74 | 2720/2733 | 2307/2327 | Pinecrest Public School | Ottawa | 0.4 | 2 |
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I agree with your thoughts.
I will add that last week, I supply taught a couple of grade-three classes where I had to teach students how to understand key-words that will appear on the EQAO tests, and how to give effective responses using the APE (Answer-provide text Proof-Extend with connections from your own life). I had to teach them strategies on what to do if one gets stuck on a question.
“Read the question again. Look at key words. Skip to the next question.”
What do students do if they cannot spell certain words?
Are students allowed to write a response outside the box or lines?
I would estimate that about half of the marks students receive on the EQAO tests are based on the ability to respond to questions according to how the EQAO examiners want students to respond–the mechanics. The other half is based on knowledge of the content and critical thinking. If teachers did not teach their students how to respond effectively to EQAO test questions, the students would perform poorly on those tests even if they understood the content.
I would love to see two grade-three or grade-six teachers split their students for two weeks. The students could be split so that there would be an equitable distribution of boys and girls with high, medium, and low academic standings. During those two weeks, the teachers would teach one group test taking strategies while the other group would review curriculum content. The teachers would switch in the teaching of test taking strategies and curriculum content while the students would remain focused on test strategies or the curriculum. I would guess that the students who took two weeks of intensive test strategies would perform better than those who learned or reviewed the curriculum.
And that is the problem with any type of standardized test. Being standardized, the content is more or less known beforehand. I work in the Public Service and they way we are “promoted” is through something called a “competitive process” whereby anyone who believes they are quailified for a higher level position can apply and go through what we call a “Board”. The Board usually consists of a test and an interview and because the process needs to be fair, the same questions are asked of each candidate who is screened in to the test/interview phase.
But, we’ve all done this at least a few times and we more or less know what the questions will be beforehand. And yes, there is training available – formal and more informal – on how to pass a Board.
So the question becomes, was a candiate successful on a Board because he or she was best qualitified – or are were they simply better prepared for the Board questions? This is why, in recent years, references have played a more important role in assessing whether or not a candidate is ready for the next level of responsibility.
In my mind, this is very similar to standarized testing in schools. There will be those schools whose staff may be more focussed on success from a EQAO point of view and those that are not so concerned. And there are those schools where the students are of a background that is not suited to the types of questions asked on the tests, and those schools where the questions are easily understood and related to.
These tests can be valuable – but as only one piece of the puzzle and the the entire picture.