One Upper Grand District School Board school ranked among the 20 most improved schools in the province in a Fraser Institute report on Ontario schools released on Feb. 17.
Gateway Drive Public School in Guelph ranked among the 20 most improved, rising from a 5.1 average score over the previous five years to 6.5 for 2011-12.
Ten is the top score a school can receive in the annual survey conducted by the Conservative-leaning think tank. Surveys are compiled from tests administered by Ontario’s Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO), which measure Grade 3 and Grade 6 student achievement in reading, writing and mathematics in relation to Ontario curriculum expectations.
Board communications officer Maggie McFadzen declined comment on the rankings and said the board would not be issuing a press release on the results.
Centre Wellington
Several county schools showed improvement in the Fraser Institute report, including John Black in Fergus, which saw its five-year average score of 7.1 go to 8.3. J.D. Hogarth in Fergus also saw a score increase from 4.4 to 5.2. Victoria Terrace in Fergus scored a 4.9 for 2011-12, down from a 5.6 five-year average. There were no results for James McQueen in Fergus.
Elora Public school received a 5.9, down from its five-year rating of 6.5; Ponsonby school was rated 5, down from a five-year rating of 6; and Salem school in Elora rated 5.3 with no previous five-year rating available
In the Wellington Catholic District School Board, St. Mary in Elora received a 6.6 (down from 6.7), and St. Joseph in Fergus moved up to 5.1 (from 4.8).
Erin
Brisbane Public School scored 7, down from 7.3 over the five-year period and Ross R. MacKay school in Hillsburgh improved its rating from 5.6 over the previous five-year term to 5.9.
Erin Public received 5.6, compared to a five-year rating of 5.8, while St. John Brebeuf in Erin scored a 6.8 (up from 6.7).
Guelph-Eramosa
Rockwood Centennial rated 5.7, down slightly from its 5.8 five-year rating, while Eramosa public scored 8.3 (its ratings from 2009 to 2011 were 8.5, 7.9 and 7.1 respectively).
Mapleton
Drayton Heights received a 5.5 compared to a previous five-year showing of 6.6.
Centre Peel Public School in Mapleton Township scored 3.0, the lowest of all Mapleton schools. However, the score is the school’s highest in the past five years (it received 2.4, 1.1 and 1.7 respectively from 2008 to 2010).
Alma Public retained its 6.4 rating and Maryborough Public School received a 6.6 score (down from an 8.4 in 2010 but equal to its 2009 result).
Minto
Palmerston Public School received a 2.4 score, down considerably from its five-year average of 3.8. Minto Clifford in Harriston rated at 5.9, up from both 2010 (4.5) and 2011 (5.1).
Puslinch
Aberfoyle Public School scored 6.9, down from its five-year average of 7.2.
Wellington North
Victoria Cross Public School in Mount Forest edged up its previous rating of 5.1 to 5.2 in the latest survey.
Arthur Public was rated at 1.9, compared to a previous five-year ranking of 4.6.
St. Mary in Mount Forest received a 3.4 (down from a 4.9 average over the previous five years).
A rating for Kenilworth Public School was not included in the Fraser Institute ratings.
Overall
Of the most improved elementary schools in Ontario, 64 were in the Greater Toronto Area, 44 in southwestern Ontario, 36 in the north central part of the province and 23 in eastern Ontario.
Institute author Peter Cowley noted this year’s results highlighted, “the fact that school improvement is happening in all regions of the province.”
“This is why the Fraser Institute school report card is the go-to source for measuring academic improvement,” he said in a media release accompanying the survey findings.
“Our report shows that all schools are capable of improvement, regardless of the personal or family challenges their students might face. If educators want to help students learn and improve, they should be talking to these schools.
“By pinpointing the subject areas in which individual schools are improving or declining and how their academic performance compares to that of other Ontario schools over the past five years, our report helps parents and educators prioritize learning challenges in their schools.”
Cowley added, “We all want the best possible education for our children.
“To achieve this, every Ontario school should make improvements job one.”
For report details, including individual school results, visit www.fraserinstitute.org.
