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What level am I going to end up with for math? For literacy? The ideology within society is that children are stress free but children experience stress at a very young age. It’s not just at one stage but throughout their elementary to high school. And what is causing them to stress? EQAO. Education Quality and Accountability Office. EQAO is a provincial agency. The agency makes assessments for children in Grade 3, 6, 9 and 10. The test is supposed to test the curriculum children have learned in these grades as well as provide diagnostic information of how and children are doing to the child, parents, school and the school board. The assessments in grades 3 and 6 are focused on reading, writing and math. In grade 9, students are assessed in math and in grade 10 on literacy. The test began due to calls from the public as well as parents questioning what children are learning in the curriculum to school boards.
How are children graded on the EQAO? The EQAO results gives a level for each category ( mathematics, writing and reading). These levels are from Level 1 to Level 4. Level 1 defines that the child’s skill in the strand is below the provincial standard. Level 2 defines the child’s skill is close to the provincial standard. Level 3 defines that the child’s skills meets the provincial standard. Lastly, level 4 defines that the child is well above the provincial standard. How has the EQAO impacted children, parents, teachers and the school in positive and negative ways? Well, firstly, the EQAO can act as an indicator to show where the child is having difficulties. Teachers than are able to focus on improving the child’s skills in that specific strand. The test also shows if children are overall understanding the curriculum taught and if not it allows schools to work with their teachers and sort out the curriculum in a way which will allow children to understand it better. Parents are also aware of where their children are standing with their skills in reading, writing and mathematics. Children who love a challenge will enjoy the EQAO test.
There are also many negative things about the EQAO. For one it puts a lot of pressure on the students and teachers. There are many different ways to assess children; EQAO has become a big issue that builds up stress for teachers and children. Teachers are stressed to make sure they have covered the curriculum in order for the children to write the EQAO and children are stressed in making sure they understand the curriculum to write the test. The test is only a sample of a portion of the student’s skills. Children are stressed as they are preparing for the EQAO test as they are worried about the outcome of their results. There is a competition among schools as well when one school results in a higher average of their students on the EQAO test compared to another. Teachers and schools are blamed for poor results.
What is the EQAO really trying to prove? Why is the EQAO test needed, when we have report cards? Report cards show how children are doing every few months within the curriculum. It may just be a researched based approach to see if schools in different types of location, class or a place with a majority of a race do better or poor compared to another.
