Ontario’s education minister has appointed members of a new expert panel who will advise him on whether standard testing is working in the province and how it may need to be changed.
Paul Calandra released Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) testing data at the end of last year after holding it back for weeks to consider what to do about scores he acknowledged were “not good enough.”
The data showed that 51 per cent of Grade 6 students met the provincial standard in math in the 2024-25 school year, while 58 per cent of Grade 9 students met the provincial standard in math.
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At the same time, Calandra announced he would form a new two-member advisory panel to look into why math scores were so low and how they could be improved.
On Wednesday, the government announced that William “Bill” Robson, from the C.D. Howe Institute, and David R. Johnson, with Wilfred Laurier University, would fill the roles on his panel and work on a report.
“The review will examine the root causes behind these results and recommend clear, actionable strategies to better support teachers, parents and students, all while continuing to support Ontario’s public education system,” a government news release said.
Critics have argued that the issues are not with the tests or how they are administered, but rather a lack of resources for teachers in classrooms.
“Kids are not getting the supports they need in the classroom — and the EQAO results are indicative of that,” Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles previously said.
Calandra has pledged that the review will be made public once it is finished.
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