Ottawa Catholic School Board Catholic Education Centre 570 West Hunt Club Road Nepean, Ontario K2G 3R4 Phone: 613-224-2222 Fax: 613-224-5063

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Ottawa Catholic Board Grade 10 literacy test results above the province September 23, 2015

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Ottawa - The Ottawa Catholic School Board’s secondary students scored 3% higher than the provincial results on the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT), the annual assessment that tests literacy at the Grade 9 and 10 levels. Among students who are first time eligible to write OSSLT in Grade 10 and who participated in the test, 85% were successful. Elaine McMahon, Board Chairperson said, “The commitment and dedication of both the teaching and support staff in all schools are reflected in these results. We are proud of all that is achieved daily to ensure the success and well being of each student.” Focus on improvement – “It is important that we continue to focus our efforts to ensure that all students have the opportunity to experience success. Our school literacy teams and central staff examine the results of the literacy test carefully to develop action plans for our ongoing improvement efforts,” said Director of Education, Denise Andre. What we are doing to improve our OSSLT scores: • Reassessing School Innovation Plans for Achievement and Well-Being, ensuring that action plans are developed to respond to specific student needs • Ensuring that specific interventions support ELL/English Language Learners and students who struggle with literacy • Offering after-school literacy sessions for students requiring additional support • Developing cross-curricular professional learning communities to focus on literacy EQAO test results help the Board and schools conduct in-depth analyses of student achievement and identify areas in need of attention for us to continuously improve numeracy and literacy. For more information, contact Mardi de Kemp, Manager of Communications, 613 224 4455 ext. 2326 -30-