FRASER I N S T I T U T E Report Card on Ontario’s Secondary Schools 2020 Peter Cowley and Joel Emes COMPARESCHOOLRANKINGS.ORG Report Card on Ontario’s Secondary Schools 2020 By Peter Cowley and Joel Emes Contents Introduction / 3 Key academic indicators of school performance / 5 Other indicators of school performance / 8 Notes / 9 Detailed school reports / 10 How does your school stack up? / 60 Appendix: Calculating the Overall rating out of 10 / 68 About the authors / 70 Publishing information / 71 Supporting the Fraser Institute / 72 Purpose, funding, & independence / 72 About the Fraser Institute / 73 Editorial Advisory Board / 74 2 Introduction The Report Card on Ontario’s Secondary Schools 2020 The Report Card facilitates (hereafter, Report Card) collects a variety of relevant, school improvement objective indicators of school performance into one, easily accessible public document so that anyone can The act of publicly rating and ranking schools attracts analyze and compare the performance of individual attention and this can provide motivation. Schools schools. By doing so, the Report Card assists parents that perform well or show consistent improvement when they choose a school for their children and are applauded. Poorly performing schools generate encourages and assists all those seeking to improve concern, as do those whose performance is deteriorat- their schools. ing. This inevitable attention provides an incentive for all those connected with a school to focus on student results. The Report Card helps However, the Report Card offers more than just parents choose incentive. It includes a variety of indicators, each of which reports results for an aspect of school perfor- Where parents can choose among several schools for mance that may be improved. School administrators their children, the Report Card provides a valuable who are dedicated to their students’ academic success tool for making a decision. Because it makes compari- accept the Report Card as another source of opportu- sons easy, it alerts parents to those nearby schools that nities for improvement. appear to have more effective academic programs. Parents can also determine whether schools of interest are improving over time. By first studying the Report Some schools do better than others Card, parents will be better prepared to ask relevant questions when they visit schools under consideration To improve a school, one must believe that improve- and speak with the staff. ment is achievable. This Report Card, like other report Of course, the choice of a school should not be cards from the Fraser Institute, provides evidence made solely on the basis of a single source of informa- about what can be accomplished. It demonstrates tion. Web sites maintained by Ontario’s Education clearly that even when we take into account factors Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO),1 the pro- such as the students’ family background—which vincial ministry of education, and local school boards some believe dictate the degree of academic success may also provide useful information.2 Parents who that students can enjoy in school—some schools do already have a child enrolled at the school provide better than others. This finding confirms the results another point of view. of research carried out in other countries.3 Indeed, it Naturally, a sound academic program should be will come as no great surprise to experienced parents complemented by effective programs in areas of school and educators that the data consistently suggest that activity not measured by the Report Card. Nevertheless, what goes on in the schools makes a difference to the Report Card provides a detailed picture of each academic results and that some schools make a greater school that is not easily available elsewhere. difference than others. 3 4 Report Card on Ontario’s Secondary Schools 2020 Comparisons are at the heart effective schools may find ways to improve. of the improvement process Comparisons are at the heart of improvement: making comparisons among schools is made simpler By comparing a school’s latest results with those of and more meaningful by the Report Card’s indicators, earlier years, we can see if the school is improving. ratings, and rankings. By comparing a school’s results with those of neigh- bouring schools or schools having similar school and student characteristics, we can identify more success- You can contribute to the ful schools and learn from them. Reference to overall development of the Report Card provincial results places an individual school’s level of achievement in a broader context. The Report Card program benefits from the input of There is great benefit in identifying schools that interested parties. We welcome your suggestions, com- are particularly effective. By studying the techniques ments, and criticisms. Please contact co-author Joel used in schools where students are successful, less Emes at [email protected]. Key academic indicators of school performance The foundation of the Report Card is an overall can assess not only each school’s performance in any rating of each school’s Academic Performance. We given year but also its improvement or deterioration base our Overall rating out of 10 on the school’s over time. performance on seven indicators, all of which are derived from province-wide tests of literacy and mathematics skills that are administered by the prov- Indicators of effective teaching ince’s Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO).4 They are: Average results on grade-9 mathematics tests (1) the average level of achievement on the grade-9 Fundamental to the mission of secondary schools EQAO assessment in academic mathematics; is ensuring that students are equipped with sound (2) the average level of achievement on the grade-9 skills in literacy and mathematics. Differences among EQAO assessment in applied mathematics; students in abilities, motivation, and work habits will inevitably have an impact upon the final results. (3) the percentage of Ontario Secondary School There are, however, recognizable differences from Literacy Tests (OSSLT) written by first-time school to school within a district in the average results eligible students that were successfully completed; on both of these tests. There is also variation within (4) the percentage of Ontario Secondary School schools in the average results obtained on these tests. Literacy Tests written by previously eligible Such differences in outcomes cannot be explained students that were successfully completed; simply by the individual and family characteristics of the school’s students. We believe that teaching (5) the percentage of all the completed tests written makes a difference to student outcomes and it there- by students at the school that were assessed fore seems reasonable to include the average levels of either as unsuccessful (OSSLT) or below the achievement in these critical subject areas as indica- provincial standard (grade-9 math tests); tors of effective teaching. (6) the difference between male and female The indicators in mathematics—in the tables, students in their average levels of achievement Avg. level Gr 9 Math (Acad) and Avg. level Gr 9 Math on the most commonly written grade-9 (Apld)—show the average level of proficiency achieved EQAO assessment in mathematics; and; by the school’s students on the uniform assessments by the EQAO at the grade-9 level. Generally, each (7) the difference between male and female students grade-9 student will write only one of the two tests, attempting the OSSLT for the first time in depending on the mathematics program—academic their rate of successful completion of the test. or applied—in which he or she is enrolled. The EQAO converts the raw score on each test We have selected this set of indicators because they into a level of achievement from 1 to 4. Achievement provide useful insight into a school’s performance. at Levels 1 and 2 suggest that the student has not yet As they are based on annually generated data, we met the provincial standard. Level 3 is considered the 5 6 Report Card on Ontario’s Secondary Schools 2020 provincial standard and Level 4 represents achieve- ment, students should, at the minimum, demonstrate ment well above the provincial standard. Achievement that they meet the accepted standard of performance at Level 3 or 4 suggests that students are prepared for for their grade in these subject areas. Schools have work at the next grade. the responsibility of ensuring that their students are In order to calculate the average level achieved adequately prepared to do so. by the students at a school on each test, a numerical value was given to each level of achievement. Thus, Level 1 was given a value of 1 for purposes of deter- How well do the teachers take mining the average; Level 2, a value of 2; Level 3, a student differences into account? value of 3; and Level 4, a value of 4. A value of 0 was The Gender gap indicators given in those cases where a student completed the test but did not demonstrate sufficient understanding The Gender gap indicators—in the tables Gender to be assigned achievement Level 1. gap (level) Math and Gender gap-OSSLT—determine how successful the school has been in narrowing the Percentage of OSSLTs achievement gap between male and female students successfully completed in literacy and mathematics.5 These indicators are In most cases, students must pass the Ontario determined, for each subject area, by calculating the Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) in order to absolute value of the difference between male and graduate. It is first written in grade 10. Students who female students in their average level of achievement do not pass the test in grade 10 may write the test (in mathematics) or success rate (in the OSSLT). The again in subsequent school years.