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Improvements, but education minister sees more work necessary for Ontario students

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Ontario’s Education Minister is encouraged by the latest results of the province’s standardized tests.

Results released by the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO), which oversees student testing, show slight increases in the number of students meeting math standards.

At the grade 3 level, 65% of all students who wrote last spring’s test met the provincial standard, an increase of one percent.

Fifty-two percent of Grade 6s met the standard, also a one percent increase over 2025 numbers.

The number in the grade 9 math assessment also grew one percent to 59% this past spring.

Students continue to perform better in the writing and reading tests.

Sixty-seven percent of grade 3s and 85% of grade 6 students met the provincial standard in writing.

In the reading portion, 75% of Grade 3s and 86% of Grade 6s met the standard, with both scores seeing upticks from 2025.

Improvements were also seen in the Grade 10 literacy test, with 86% of those writing for the first time meeting standards, and 49% rewriting the test hitting the preferred benchmark.

Education Minister Paul Calandra says while the numbers are encouraging, there is still more work to do.

“Too many students continue to struggle, achievement gaps persist, and results remain uneven across the province,” states Calandra in a statement.

“The results give us valuable information about where progress is being made and where added action is needed.”

He has directed his Ministry to review school boards’ Student Achievement Plans and monitor the progress made.

“These plans are an important tool for boards to use local assessment results to identify where students are falling behind and set out concrete actions to improve student outcomes,” states Calandra.

The Minister also wants to know why there has been a high number of students who have been exempted from the testing.

Exemptions are often given to students who are unable to complete an assessment.

“This increase requires a closer look. I have therefore directed EQAO leadership to investigate the reasons for this increase and report back on what is driving the changes and whether any further action is needed.”

a person writing on a piece of paper

Education Minister orders review of provincewide testing

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A review of the provincewide testing of grade 3, 6, 9, and 10 students is underway.

Education Minister Paul Calandra has established an advisory panel in hopes of understanding why many students are not meeting provincial standards.

“While there has been progress in recent years, too many students are still not meeting provincial standards,” states Calandra in a release.

“Our government will continue using every tool available to keep Ontario’s education system focused on accountability and a back-to-basics approach to support student achievement, so that students can reach their full potential and be prepared for good-paying, rewarding careers.”

The panel will examine all aspects of the testing, including the tests themselves.

It will also look at how Ontario is supporting student learning, focusing on math, reading and writing, and closing achievement gaps.

The government is also looking for a review of the root causes behind recent test results, and that panel come up with recommended actionable strategies to better support teachers, parents and students.

The Ministry of Education states that the recommendations will ensure teachers have the tools they need to do their best work and that students have every opportunity to succeed.

The most recent testing revealed many students continue to struggle with math, with only 51% of grade 6 students and 58% of grade 9s meeting provincial standards.

Only 56% of grade 3 students met the provincial standards in the writing test.