Supplied by the Huron Superior Catholic District School Board…
Sault Ste. Marie: The Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board (HSCDSB) has decided that
students will not be participating in the Grade 9 EQAO mathematics assessment scheduled for
later this month.
On Wednesday, the Minister of Education announced that the administration of the EQAO
mathematics assessment would be left to the discretion of individual school boards.
Normally, the Grade 9 EQAO mathematics test is administered near the end of the first semester
and performance on the test is included in students’ final grade in mathematics. However, job
action by members of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA), anticipated to
begin on January 13, prevents teachers from administering and marking the Grade 9 EQAO
assessment.
As the semester draws to a close, teachers will continue to deliver the Grade 9 curriculum to
students in mathematics classes. They will also develop an alternative evaluation that will allow
students to demonstrate their achievement of overall expectations.
The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) is an independent provincial agency,
funded by the Government of Ontario. EQAO’s mandate is to conduct province-wide tests at key
points in a student’s education and report the results to educators, parents and the public. EQAO
measures students’ achievement, at a point in time, in reading, writing and mathematics, in
relation to the Ontario Curriculum expectations.

In his January 8, 2020 statement, Minister of Education, Stephen Lecce, indicated that students
who are not being tested this month would need to take the EQAO assessment in June.
The board will await further direction from the Ministry of Education and will review the matter in
the future to ensure fairness for students who are taking Grade 9 mathematics in first and second
semesters.