The fact that one in three Ontario Grades 3 and 6 students are not achieving the provincial standard in reading, writing and math seems like something more parents and educators should be concerned about.

More disturbing is that nearly 66 per cent of Ontario Grade 9 students tested for Applied Mathematics did not achieve the provincial standard.

(Hamilton Catholic students fared markedly better with just 22 per cent of those tested last May failing to attain or surpass the provincial standard.)

Each time the provincial Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) releases results for the province's publicly-funded school boards, the emphasis seems to be on what's right with our education system rather than what's wrong.

The EQAO's own website (www. eqao.com) offers the bold statement that "40 per cent of students who did not meet the (provincial) reading standard when in Grade 3 did in Grade 6."

However, that means that 60 per cent of those same underachieving students continued to score lower than the standard for reading. A news release issued last week by Hamilton's public board emphasizes how the board's results show "sustained improvement." What isn't given much attention is the significant percentage of Hamilton students tested last spring who did not achieve the provincial standard.

While we certainly understand why there might be a tendency by school boards and the province to accentuate the positive results of these tests, we wonder what is to become of the students who seem to be struggling to achieve a stronger grade.

While students in the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board performed above the provincial average in nearly every category, those in the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board scored below provincial average on every test.

The latest EQAO results leave us questioning two points: whether they provide an accurate picture of how students are faring in Ontario classrooms, and whether the provincial standard is unreasonably high.

The EQAO suggests several questions for parents to ask of their school administrators to help them better understand their school's results: What percentage of my school's students have met the provincial standard in reading, writing and/or math? What has the school's trend been in each of these subjects over the past five years? If there is no clear trend in my school's results, is it because only a small number of students are writing the test each year? For example, if only 10 students wrote the test in a given year, a single student can be the difference between the school showing 60 per cent and 70 per cent of students meeting the standard. How do the trends and current results of my school compare to those of my school board and the province? How do my school's demographics compare to those of the school board or the province? What is my school's improvement plan for reading, writing and math?

We would respectfully offer one additional question: How exactly are EQAO tests improving my child's education?