Sudbury Catholic District School Board

Sudbury Catholic District School Board Encouraged by Recent Provincial Test Scores

The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) has released the results of the Grades 3 and 6 reading, writing and mathematics tests and the Grade 9 academic and applied mathematics tests written by Ontario students during the 2005–2006 school year.

Officials at the Sudbury Catholic District School Board are pleased with the results of their students with respect to the 2005-2006 Grade 3, 6 and 9 Provincial test results in reading, writing, and mathematics. From 2002 until 2006, the percentage of the Board’s Grade 3 and 6 students that have met or surpassed the provincial standards continues to increase. Grade 3 test results improved from 45% to 51% in reading, 47% to 49% in writing and 54% to 56% in math over the four-year period. The Grade 6 test results were equally impressive demonstrating gains from 61% to 66% in reading, 53% to 58% in writing and 52% to 54% in math.

The positive trend in EQAO results was also demonstrated by the Sudbury Catholic District School Board’s Grade 9 students who wrote the Provincial math tests. Test scores indicate that the percentage of students that met or surpassed the provincial standard increased from 71% to 78% in the academic math and from 27% to 45% in the applied math from 2002 until 2006.

Paula Peroni, Chair of the Sudbury Catholic District School Board is encouraged with the recent test results. “In the last four years our Board has witnessed an increase in the percentage of our Grade 3, 6 and 9 students who have met or surpassed the provincial standards in reading, writing and math,” states Peroni. “Numerous strategies have been put into place this year which we are confident will continue to yield positive results. The overall picture, which includes significant increases in our secondary schools is line with our strategic improvement plan. It is gratifying to see that we have firmly established an upward trend. We are cognizant of the overwhelming efforts of our secondary panel and the solid academic foundation at elementary level which produce these positive results.”

Zandra Zubac, Director of Education for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board is equally optimistic with the latest data. “Recent test scores of our students writing the Grade 3, and 6 provincial tests indicate that we are moving along with the rest of the province with respect to the increasing number of students who scored at or above the provincial level,” states Zubac. “Our secondary school scores exceed the provincial average and we will continue to use our secondary schools as a model for best practices. The strategies that are working well in one school will be used in other schools to yield positive results. The Learning With Laptops program for Grade 9 math was introduced in the spring of 2005. As we enter year 3 of the program, we hope to see continued improvement.”

For detailed results, visit our EQAO section.

No More Pencils, No More Books, But Definitely a Laptop!

Representatives from Apple Canada joined the Sudbury Catholic District School Board’s administrative team in presenting all of the Board’s Grade 7 and 8 teachers and vice-principals with a wireless MacBook laptop computer in its ‘Apple For The Teacher Day.’ The Board passed a motion last week to purchase eleven hundred laptop computers in a bold move to bring more technology into the classroom this September.

Zandra Zubac, Director of Education for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board stated in her opening address to the teachers that today marks an historic day not only for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board but for the educational process across the entire province. ‘Our Board is the very first Board in Ontario to give every grade 7 and 8 student a wireless computer,’ stated Zubac. ‘Through our partnership with Apple Canada we are championing new innovative and successful technological ways of delivering education to our students.’

Following the presentation of the wireless computers, consultants from Apple Canada conducted workshop sessions with the teachers, vice-principals and student leaders to help orient them with the new technology. “The teachers will be taking the wireless MacBook Laptop computers home for the summer to familiarize themselves with the new technology using the expertise they acquired in the workshops,” stated Bob Kennedy, Consultant for Apple Canada. “Today the teachers are learning how use the new equipment, but it is very evident that once they are comfortable with the new technology they will continue to be the leaders as they integrate this new technology into the science, literacy, numeracy, religion, french and other programs,” concluded Kennedy.

The Sudbury Catholic District School Board first introduced the wireless technology into the classroom in 2003-2004 by piloting the “Learning with Laptops Program” to a wide range of students from kindergarten to grade 6. In 2004-05 the Board decided to expand the wireless laptop technology into all secondary schools with the new Learning With Laptops-One to One Grade 9 Math program using Apple wireless ibooks. The mathematics-based program allows students to conceptualize the abstracts of mathematics and continues to integrate technology into the classroom setting. The 2005-2006 school year saw the Board expand its wireless program again by extending the availability of wireless laptops to Special Education students under a CODE grant in an additional six schools. Today, under Phase 4, eleven hundred wireless laptops will be making their way into the hands of the board’s Grade 7 and 8 teachers and students for the fall of 2006.

2005 Grade 10 OSSLT Results Highest in Northeastern Ontario; SCDSB Proud of Staff, Students

Ontario’s Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) has announced the results of its annual province-wide Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) for the 2005-2006 school year. Of the 383 Sudbury Catholic District School Board students who wrote the OSSLT test for the first time, 90 percent were successful in passing. The Sudbury Catholic District School Board scores were the highest in Northeastern Ontario.

The report also profiles 17 secondary schools made notable for their progress in OSSLT results since the tests were first introduced in 2002. St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School has been selected by EQAO in the province of Ontario as one of the English-language schools that has demonstrated continued student success in the OSSLT.

The school’s success rate for students writing the OSSLT for the first time rose from 80 percent in February 2002 to 92 percent in March 2006. St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School has a population of 650 students, of whom 23 percent are identified as having special needs. Now in its 12th year, the school offers a wide variety of programming, including French Immersion, locally developed
not-for-credit courses and a Wireless Laptop Grade 9 Math program.

“Underlying the many initiatives to build school-wide literacy at St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School is the philosophy that literacy is critical for every subject,” states Guy Mathieu, Principal of St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School. “Strategies such as think-alouds and focused readings have become standard practice in every classroom. Our teachers articulate how they
will promote the development of literacy skills in the course outlines that go home with students.”

In addition to providing dedicated literacy days, the school also offers Grade 9 literature activities which focus on the literacy skills reflected in the curriculum and the OSSLT. This approach will be extended to Grade 10. In order to build capacity, the school has partnered with the local university, colleges and retired teachers to enhance support for students in need of additional assistance.
Paula Peroni, Chair of the Sudbury Catholic District School Board is pleased with the recent OSSLT results.

“I would like to congratulate our secondary students, parents, teachers and staff on their excellent results in the recent OSSLT scores,” states Peroni. “The results are a tribute to their hard work and dedication.” Zandra Zubac Director of Education for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board shares Peroni’s optimism given the latest test results. “Literacy and student success rates have always been a major priority with our Board,” states, Zubac. “We are continuing our work with our cross-curricular teams and school staff to build successful learning environments for
students to ensure continued success rates.”

A record-high 125,830 Grade 10 secondary school students in Ontario met the literacy standard this year as the provincial success rate on the literacy test continues to rise, increasing to 84% in 2006.

Wireless Laptops Enhance Curriculum at St. James Catholic School

Students in Mr. Lusk’s Grade 5 class at St. James Catholic School are not only learning to take care of their bones but they are sharing what they learned with the world. The students participated in the “Power4 Bones” program designed specifically for the Grade 5 curriculum.

Power4Bones is a FREE program that encourages students in Ontario to take care of their bones. As a final assignment they had to come up with catchy Public Service Announcements (PSAs) that could be used to educate the general public. This creative class of students went one step further by broadcasting their announcements on the World Wide Web. They recorded, edited and enhanced their PSAs using their Apple iBook laptops and some specialized software.

The students’ broadcasts were uploaded to a ‘podcasting’ site that not only allows users to listen to the broadcasts, but also to download it to a mp3 player allowing the user to listen anytime anywhere.

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