McGuinty Governement Working To Help Students In Kingston Excel In Reading, Writing and Math
Local School Boards Getting $430, 542 to Boost Student Learning

KINGSTON - The McGuinty government is providing funding and resources totalling $430, 542 so that elementary students in Kingston will receive intensive support in reading, writing and math, MPP John Gerretsen announced today on behalf of Kathleen Wynne Minister of Education.

“Today’s announcement is great news for parents and children in the Kingston community, said Gerretsen. “Getting a solid foundation in literacy and numeracy will help give our students the fundamentals for success in their school career now and into
their futures.”

The government’s investment will particularly target elementary schools where at least two-thirds of students have achieved below the provincial standard on Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) tests over the past three years. However, all schools in all school boards will have access to innovative resources and approaches that have been proven to boost student achievement.

“Our government realizes that every child learns differently, that every child benefits from individual attention, and that schools need specialized resources so they can help each student reach his or her full potential,” said Education Minister Kathleen Wynne. “That’s why we’re committed to providing Ontario schools with proven tools and resources that help kids excel in reading, writing and math.”

The Ontario Focused Intervention Partnership combines the Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat’s strategy with the successful Turnaround Teams approach, which substantially improved student achievement in many schools. In the first phase of the turnaround program, 84 per cent of schools showed dramatically improved results."

The education ministry’s Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat has developed a made-in-Ontario strategy based on proven practices in international jurisdictions such as Australia and Great Britain. Some of these strategies to improve student achievement include:

• teachers trained in the latest literacy and numeracy techniques
  
• uninterrupted blocks of class time for reading, writing and math
• common tools for assessing student progress
• school improvement teams.

The government has set a target of 75 per cent of Grade 6 students meeting or exceeding the provincial standard in reading, writing and math by 2008.

Provincewide tests from the 2005-06 school year show that overall, 64 per cent of Ontario Grade 3 and 6 students are meeting or exceeding the provincial standard in reading, writing and math. This accounts for a 10 percentage point increase, up from 54 per cent in 2002-03.

Across the province students are already benefitting from government initiatives intended to help more elementary students succeed, including:

• Funding to hire 3,600 teachers to reduce the number of students in JK to Grade 3 classes to a maximum of 20 students in 90 per cent of classes by 2007-08,
• Providing a more well-rounded education, with funding to hire 1,600 elementary specialist teachers in areas such as music, phys-ed and the arts.
• Training more than 12,000 teachers and principals in shared reading, and 16,000 in differentiated instruction.
• Providing every school in the province with more textbooks, learning resources and library books.

“We’re building on the tremendous improvement Ontario’s kids are making in reading, writing and math. EQAO tests do not capture the whole story of learning, but these additional resources will ensure that each of our children will have a firm foundation for becoming well-rounded citizens, ready and well-prepared for the future,” said Wynne.

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For more information contact:
John Gerretsen, MPP
(613) 547-2385