The recently released 2023-24 Education Quality and Accountability Office assessment results indicate Waterloo Region District School students are lagging behind in several subjects.
The most glaring issues were among Grade 3 students as they ranked below the provincial average in reading, writing and mathematics.
Grade 9 students were also below average in math.
Students fared better in Grade 6, as they were at the average in reading and slightly above in writing and math.
"The 2023-2024 EQAO results showed that WRDSB students performed at or slightly below the range of their peers across the province," the board said in a statement on its website.
"The results in Grades 3, 6 and Grade 9 highlight the importance of continuing the work we have already started through the Structured Literacy Multi-Year Plan and the Math Achievement Action Plan."
When comparing results within the board from 2022-23 to 2023-24, averages dropped in every category except for Grade 6 math.
Grade 10 students writing the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test for the first time met the provincial average, while those previously eligible to write it exceeded it.
The board points to the lingering impacts of the pandemic as potential reasons for the decline in several categories but emphasizes the testing is just one snapshot it uses to track student success.
"Given the challenges faced by students due to learning loss during the global pandemic, we developed and shared our Structured Literacy Multi-Year Plan and Math Achievement Action Plan, as well as set specific and measurable goals in our annual Board Improvement and Equity Plan, because we know that change and recovery from learning loss takes time." the release reads.
"We know there is much work ahead of us and as a system we are committed to doing it."
To see the full results visit wrdsb.ca.
