Ontario to review approach to standardized testing as pace of math improvement slow

TORONTO — Ontario’s education minister says he is going to appoint advisers to review the province’s approach to standardized testing, as results are not showing enough improvement, particularly in math.

Math scores on the Education Quality and Accountability Office standardized tests have been a concern for the province for years, as only about half of Grade 6 students are able to meet the standard.

The latest results released today, which reflect tests conducted last year, show that 64 per cent of Grade 3 students met the math standard, 51 per cent of Grade 6 students met the standard and 58 per cent of Grade 9 students met the standard.

Those results are up a few percentage points from the previous two years, but Education Minister Paul Calandra says they are not high enough, so he will be naming two people to an advisory body early next year to do a comprehensive review.

He says their review will assess 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.

Students are also assessed in reading and writing in Grades 3 and 6, and Grade 10 students take a literacy test.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 3, 2025.

Allison Jones, The Canadian Press