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www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, July 23, 2010 · 18 Halton Catholic students No. 1 in provincial literacy testing By Tim Whitnell METROLAND WEST MEDIA GROUP Halton Catholic District School Board students that participated in the most recent Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) not only exceeded the provincial success rate average, but Experience The Great Outdoors! "MASONRY & FIREPLACE DESIGN SPECIALISTS" 406 SPEERS RD., OAKVILLE ACROSS FROM RONA LANSING 905-337-2066 Carpet Cleaning Specialists Since 1952 w w w. c o b b l e s t o n e m b e r s . c a topped all school boards in Ontario. In the group of students who wrote the test for the first time -- students who entered Grade 10 in 2009 -- 92 per cent did so successfully. The average success rate for Ontario's 72 school boards in 2009-10 was 84 per cent. The Huron-Perth Catholic board, northwest of Halton, tied the Halton Catholic board for top spot provincially with a 92 per cent OSSLT success rate. The Halton public school board was next best in Ontario with 90 per cent of their first-time eligible Grade 10 students passing the literacy test. They were tied with the Ottawa Catholic board and the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario. The lowest literacy test success rate in Ontario for 2009-10 was the 36 per cent of the James Bay Lowlands board in Moosonee in Northern Ontario. The literacy test pass rates for students within the Halton Catholic board and across the province have been essentially static for the past five years. Since the 2005-06 school year, the Halton Catholic board's OSSLT success rate has been 92 per cent, 89 per cent and now 92 per cent each of the last three years. Since the 2005-06 school year, the OSSLT success rate in Ontario has been 84 per cent each year, except in 2008-09 when it reached 85 per cent. On a school-by-school basis, Corpus Christi of Burlington led all Halton Catholic high schools with a 96 per cent success rate. Christ the King of Georgetown and St. Ignatius of Loyola of Oakville were next best at 94 per cent each followed by Notre Dame of Burlington at 93 per cent, St. Thomas Aquinas and Holy Trinity of Oakville at 92 per cent apiece, Bishop Reding of Milton at 88 and Assumption of Burlington at 87. The latest literacy test was conducted in April of this year under the auspices of the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO). "The Halton Catholic District School Board is proud of the success of all of our students and each of our secondary schools. Our students continue to demonstrate high levels of achievement in this provincial assessment," said Michael Pautler, director of education for the Halton Catholic District School Board. "It is through the collaborative work of our elementary and secondary principals, teachers, support staff, students, parents, senior administration and board personnel that our board is able to achieve results above the provincial average on the OSSLT," he added. Board superintendent of education Jacqueline Herman said maintaining such high levels of student achievement is the direct result of the board's attention to literacy instruction across the curriculum combined with, "...the commitment of staff who recognize that each child is unique in his/her learning. School teams work diligently and in close partnership with our parent communities to help support our students in their individual paths to success."The OSSLT is based on the expectations for reading and writing across all core subjects in the Ontario curriculum up to the end of Grade 9. Successful completion of the OSSLT is a pre-requisite for high school graduation. The test is marked on a successful/unsuccessful basis according to criteria established by the EQAO. Students must successfully complete both the reading and writing components of the test. Students that are not successful or did not write it, due to absence or deferral, are eligible to retake the test at a later date or participate in the alternative Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course (OSSLC). The EQAO website (www.eqao.com) states the vast majority of the 16 per cent of first-time eligible students who were unsuccessful on this year's literacy test also did not pass the EQAO test for reading or writing when they were in Grade 6. Spot! WALL TO WALL FURNITURE & UPHOLSTERY AREA RUGS PERSIAN & ORIENTAL Escape to paradise It's in your nature Rainforest Adventure July 1 to Thanksgiving; Hendrie Park y g g; Swing like a spider monkey, help birds migrate and more i this outdoor i t d in thi td interactive family exhibit. PRESENTED BY RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL Truck Mount In-Plant Service Water Damage Restoration Oakville beaches safe for swimming Do you need a place to cool down? Well, according to the Halton Region Health Department all Oakville beaches are safe for swimming with acceptable levels of bacteria. The beaches are: Coronation Park East and West and Bronte Park Beach. The health department does weekly testing to recreational water spots in the region during July and August. Milton's Kelso Conservation Area and Burlington's Beachway Park North and South beaches are safe for swimming as well. The only beach currently unsafe in the region is Prospect Park Old Beach in Halton Hills. For more information and regular updates, visit www.halton.ca/beaches. See the transformation of what we can do in relation to others! 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