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EQAO standardized test success rates up slightly from previous year

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Digital, G. (2026, September 25). EQAO standardized test success rates up slightly from previous year. Global News. https://globalnews.ca/news/12073263/eqao-standardized-test-success-rates-up-slightly-from-previous-year/

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Global News · collected 2026-09-25 · by Globalnews Digital

Quick Summary

Standardized test results from the Education Quality and Accountability Office show slight improvements in math scores for Ontario students since last year, with Grade 6 students seeing a one percentage point increase to 52 percent meeting provincial standards. The overall trend indicates gradual but modest gains across different grades and subjects, though performance remains uneven between English-language and French-language schools. Education Minister Paul Calandra acknowledges these incremental improvements while emphasizing the need for continued focus on areas where student achievement is lagging, particularly in mathematics.
Written by AI on 2026-09-25, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

In Ontario, the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) released standardized test scores for the 2025-26 school year, showing negligible improvements in math, reading, and writing across most grade levels. For Grade 3, 65% of students met the provincial standard in math, up one percentage point from the previous year; in reading, it was 75%, also an increase by one percent. Meanwhile, only 52% of Grade 6 students met the standard for math, a slight improvement from last year's results. Reading and writing scores remained steady at 86% and 85% respectively. Among Grade 9 students in English-language schools, 59% achieved the provincial standard in math, marking an increase of one percentage point over the previous year. Despite these minor improvements, Education Minister Paul Calandra acknowledged that significant challenges remain, particularly in mathematics education. The EQAO noted that while there has been a gradual rise in math standards met over time, many students still struggle to meet the provincial benchmarks.

Written for “Ontario Standardized Test Scores” on 2026-11-02, grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Ontario Standardized Test Scores
Education · 3 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 5% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Toronto Star
Hedges 0 of 16 claims Outlet record 64/100
The Globe and Mail
Hedges 1 of 16 claims Outlet record 52/100
The Guardian
Hedges 2 of 38 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of educational test scores in distinct geographical and political contexts.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
21
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
5%
1 of 21 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
63/100
Global News's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
3
Education
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-25 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Global News · 2636 article(s) · 11 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 11 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Globalnews Digital
704 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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Also by Globalnews Digital
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
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Topics

EQAO Education Education Quality and Accountability Office Ontario The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test

Subjects

EQAO ORG · 5× Calandra PERSON · 3× Chandra Pasma PERSON · 1× Education ORG · 1× Education Quality and Accountability Office ORG · 1× NDP ORG · 1× Ontario GPE · 1× Paul Calandra PERSON · 1×

Narrative

After the release of last year’s EQAO results, Calandra announced that he would be establishing an advisory body to do a review looking at why the pace of improvement isn’t faster, whether the curriculum and learning resources are clear, how well teachers are being prepared and whether students have the tools they need.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-25
🔮 After the release of last year’s EQAO results, Calandra announced that he would be establishing an advisory body to do a review looking at why the pace of improvement isn’t faster, whether the curriculum and learning resources are clear, how well teachers are being prepared and whether students have the tools they need.
2026-09-25 · Global News
EQAO standardized test success rates up slightly from previous year · assertive framing

Claims (21 extracted, 1 hedged)

Ontario students’ persistently low math scores have improved slightly since last year, results of standardized testing show. asserted
results → improve → testing
Education Quality and Accountability Office standardized test results released Friday indicate a small rise across all categories in English-language schools. asserted
results → release → schools
Math scores in particular have been a focal point of successive governments, as the percentage of students meeting the provincial standard has remained low. asserted
percentage → meet → standard
It is especially pronounced among Grade 6 students, where the percentage has hovered around 50 per cent for years, meaning only about half of the students are meeting the provincial standard. asserted
half → hover → standard
Education Minister Paul Calandra said the results give valuable information about where progress is being made and where more attention is needed. asserted
attention → say → information
“These results are encouraging, but they also make clear that there is more work to do,” he wrote in a statement. asserted
he → make → statement
“Too many students continue to struggle, achievement gaps persist and results remain uneven across the province.” Results from the 2025-26 school year show that 52 per cent of Grade 6 students met the provincial standard, while 65 per cent of Grade 3 students and 59 per cent of Grade 9 students met the standard. asserted
cent → continue → standard
Get daily National news All of those scores are up one percentage point from the previous year. asserted
All → get → scores
The amount of Grade 3 students who met reading and writing standards was 75 and 67 per cent, respectively, up slightly from the previous year, and the amount of Grade 6 students who met reading and writing standards was 86 and 85 per cent, respectively, the same as the previous year. asserted
who → meet → year
The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test typically written in Grade 10 saw 86 per cent of first-time eligible students meet the standard, one percentage point higher than the previous year. asserted
cent → write → year
The EQAO said in a statement that while math scores have slowly increased over time, it remains an area requiring attention. asserted
it → say → attention
Schools designated as priority schools for math have been showing accelerated improvement, the EQAO said, suggesting targeted supports are working. asserted
supports → designate → improvement
Calandra also said the results show a “significant increase” in the number of students exempted from the tests in some school boards. asserted
results → say → boards
“Exemptions are intended for students who are unable to complete an assessment, even with permitted accommodations,” he wrote in his statement. asserted
he → intend → statement
“This increase requires a closer look. asserted
increase → require → 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.” asserted
action → direct → changes
After the release of last year’s EQAO results, Calandra announced that he would be establishing an advisory body to do a review looking at why the pace of improvement isn’t faster, whether the curriculum and learning resources are clear, how well teachers are being prepared and whether students have the tools they need. asserted
they → announce → tools
That work is ongoing, Calandra said. asserted
Calandra → say → ?
NDP education critic Chandra Pasma suggested that EQAO scores are not higher because the government is not funding schools at high enough levels. uncertain
government → suggest → levels
“EQAO results are not a reflection of our students,” she wrote in a statement. asserted
she → write → statement
“They are a reflection on this minister of education’s failure to provide students with what they need to succeed.” asserted
they → provide → what
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