15 June 2007, Belleville, Ontario —Today the Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board released the results of the Grade 10 Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT).

81 percent of first-time participating HPEDSB students were successful on the provincial literacy test, as compared to the provincial average of 84 percent. This represents a 5 percent decline for HPEDSB students over last year's results.

"We are pleased that over 80 percent of first-time eligible students were successful on the literacy test," remarks Carl Pitman, Chair of the Board. "We are reviewing why our results declined somewhat from last year, but we remain confident in our focus on success for all students."

Throughout the 2006-2007 school year, HPEDSB continued to support students through a variety of initiatives, including literacy camps, after school literacy programs, and focused support at the school level. Staff also received support through a wide variety of professional development activities linked to Ministry of Education literacy initiatives.

The purpose of the OSSLT is to determine whether students have achieved the minimum acceptable level of reading and writing skills described in The Ontario Curriculum, across all subjects, to the end of Grade 9.

The Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board has 46 elementary and eight secondary schools serving 18,400 students, employing 1,070 teachers and 705 support staff. The Board covers a wide geographical area of 7,221 square kilometres bordered by Maynooth to the north, Deseronto to the east, Prince Edward County to the south, and Quinte West to the west.