Our Statement Regarding Minister Calandra’s Response to Ontario’s Latest EQAO Scores

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Hamilton, Ontario - December 9, 2025

After a delay, Education Minister Paul Calandra has released the latest EQAO (Education Quality and Accountability Office) testing data. While the results represent a slight improvement from the previous school year, according to the Minister not enough students are meeting provincial benchmarks. In response, he is appointing an advisory panel to do a review and investigate ways to improve test scores.

We do believe that better and more effective ways to teach the curriculum should be explored. However, we are disappointed that this government has chosen not to engage with and collaborate with community stakeholders. Any review of EQAO testing or student achievement must be done in full consultation with frontline educators, unions, organizations and parent representatives.

But, we also firmly believe the Ministry of Education should actually consider abolishing EQAO testing altogether. Standardized testing is problematic for a number of reasons. It’s inaccurate, inequitable, and often ineffective at gauging what students actually know. Such tests often fail to measure crucial skills such as creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving; there may be cultural and socioeconomic bias; and scores can be influenced by factors like stress, illness, or tiredness on test day. Overall, test results present an incomplete picture of the student’s abilities.

It’s true we need concrete data on how students are doing. But, test scores should not be used as the sole measure of a school’s quality, a teacher’s ability or a student’s future.

The annual budget of EQAO testing is $30 million. Surely that amount of money and the time spent to prepare for it would be better utilized elsewhere.

For more information, please contact our team at balanceSSCS@gmail.com

Balance Support & Self Care Studios was created with parents and caregivers of individuals with diverse needs in mind. We recognize the value of the staff and community. We are committed to striving for excellence through inclusiveness, team collaboration, quality of services, and the participation and contributions of volunteers and community members.

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