Achievement
Throughout the 2024-25 school year, Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) students, staff, parents, families and caregivers worked collaboratively to support student achievement and well-being.
We continue to support the implementation of the Structured Literacy Multi-Year Plan (SLMYP), including building administrator and educator capacity in structured literacy and implementing and monitoring evidence-based reading practices in classrooms. The SLMYP implements a tiered approach to supporting students. This aims to provide high quality literacy instruction for all, while also catering to diverse learning needs.
One of the key indicators is the percentage of students who are reading at grade level by the end of Grade 2, which builds on the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s Right to Read Report. We know that building a strong foundation for literacy at a young age has lifelong benefits and supports students’ access for future opportunities.
We continue to provide professional learning for educators to support the integration of reading intervention programs (such as Lexia and Empower) and the development of early reading skills.
The Math Achievement Action Plan (MAAP) provides students across all grade levels with a foundational understanding of mathematics, through:
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Knowing the mathematics learner
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Educator math content training
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Curriculum implementation
Building on mathematics education, the MAAP ensures that all students have access to high-level, equitable and inclusive math instruction. Using a tiered intervention plan, the MAAP supports educators to address individual student needs, including using data to inform small group (classroom embedded) targeted instruction; support for students in key content areas; and a coaching model for building classroom teacher capacity.
We have aligned our literacy and mathematics strategies to the priority actions outlined by the Ministry of Education. We continue to take a system-wide approach to supporting literacy and mathematics.
Students experience learning environments with high expectations, meaningful learning opportunities, and the right supports and resources for the students who need them. Through the implementation of destreaming in Grades 9 and 10, we ensure that students have expanded opportunities for learning. By implementing this practice, all students will have access to all pathway options in their Grade 11 year.
The results of the 2024-25 Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) assessment provide us with one of many measurements to build a comprehensive understanding of student achievement and determine areas of focus. The 2024-2025 EQAO results showed that WRDSB students performed at or above our 2023-24 results. The progress in Grades 3, 6, 9 and 10 highlight the success of our enhanced instructional efforts guided by the Structured Literacy Multi-Year Plan and the Math Achievement Action Plan. The efforts of staff, in collaboration with parents, families and caregivers, to implement these two key strategies in support of reading, writing and mathematics learning mean that more students are experiencing success.
The results of the EQAO assessments provide us with a valuable data set and helps us determine areas of focus. We are informed by the multiple data sets we collect to determine how we can best support student learning.
We are proud to celebrate students’ and WRDSB graduates’ achievement and success alongside their families and communities. Current students and alumni are making significant impacts on their communities and beyond. Through experiential learning opportunities and extracurricular activities, students are expanding their learning through hands-on opportunities, such as Elmira District Secondary School Robotics Team competing in the FIRST Robotics Competition; Grand View Public School students engage in outdoor learning to develop connections to the environment and responsible stewardship; building an awareness of how language and culture are interconnected within the French Language curriculum at Glencairn Public School; Eastwood Collegiate Institute’s senior songwriting and recording class and Laurel Heights Secondary School’s vocal class each placed first in the CBC Music Class Challenge; and secondary student participation in the Electric Vehicle Challenge.
Read more about how we’re supporting student achievement:
