Congratulations, EQAO, on your 30th anniversary!
EQAO is a world-class, multi-award-winning organization that has made significant contributions to Ontario’s education system over the past three decades.
Background
The Education Quality and Accountability Act was passed into law and received Royal Assent in 1996, in response to recommendations from the 1994 Royal Commission on Learning. The Ontario government sought to address the public’s demand for greater accountability and clearer, more meaningful information about the quality and effectiveness of the province’s education system.
The primary mandate of the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) was to monitor student achievement at key stages of learning and to provide the public with confidence that all students were being assessed consistently and in accordance with established best-practice standards. This mandate was fulfilled through the administration of annual standardized assessments. By doing so, the Ministry of Education aimed to improve the quality of education across the province and use assessment results to inform future policy and instructional improvements.
As a Crown agency of the Government of Ontario, EQAO has gradually expanded and evolved its assessment program to include the Primary (Grade 3) and Junior (Grade 6) Division Assessments of Reading, Writing and Mathematics; the Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics; and the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT). More recently, EQAO has been mandated to administer the Mathematics Proficiency Test for Ontario teacher candidates.
Assessment
Over the past three decades, the agency has distinguished itself as a world-class leader in large-scale assessment. EQAO has always been a learning organization, striving for continuous improvement and continually transforming its assessment procedures by facilitating the learning of its members.
In its early years, the agency engaged prominent experts in large-scale assessment to support staff in key areas such as item development, scoring/marking, and standard setting. Over time, EQAO’s staff developed the expertise to carry out these functions independently. Following several years of administering assessments, EQAO undertook a comprehensive review of its assessment program. This process involved an extensive evaluation by external national and international experts, consultation with educators and stakeholder groups across Ontario, discussions with representatives from the commercial testing industry, and consideration of research on best practices in large-scale assessment worldwide. By continually seeking expert advice, conducting research, and reflecting on its practices, EQAO has maintained its position as a leading practitioner in the field.
Since 2019, the agency has collaborated with its assessment technology partner, Vretta, to modernize its assessment program. Featuring a wide range of item types, including technology-enhanced items, interactive tools, flexible delivery options, and innovation, the digital assessment platform is recognized as a leader in assessment across Canada.
In 2024, EQAO was honoured with the Best Practitioner of the Year (Team) Award at the international e-Assessment Awards. This prestigious recognition celebrated “EQAO’s vision, purpose, innovation and inclusivity, and the difference the agency is making through its digital assessments. EQAO is committed to maximizing the accessibility and inclusiveness of its assessments to offer the best possible student experience.”
School Support and Outreach
A notable feature of EQAO is its unwavering support for the education sector. The EQAO School Support and Outreach Team collaborates directly with Ontario educators, school boards, researchers, and senior leaders to help them understand assessment data and translate it into actionable improvements in teaching and learning. The team focuses on several key initiatives to bridge the gap between assessment results and teaching practices:
- Professional Learning Programs: The team helps administrators and educators navigate the modernized e-assessment platforms and leverage EQAO data to improve school planning.
- Sharing Best Practices: The team identifies and shares innovative instructional strategies and data-utilization practices that have successfully improved student outcomes across Ontario school boards.
- Training and Workshops: The team delivers advisory services, workshops, and webinar series tailored to help educators apply EQAO data to classroom instruction.
- Event Hosting: The team chairs provincial conferences and symposia for school principals and educators to facilitate collaborative educational planning across the province.
The School Support and Outreach Team provides parents and guardians with resources, presentations, and webinars to help them interpret student EQAO results, understand provincial curriculum standards, and support their children’s literacy and mathematics learning. In addition, the team partners with faculties of education, including a multi-year partnership with the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, to develop professional learning programs. It also collaborates with school board researchers to analyze disaggregated demographic data and student census information to identify and address systemic disparities in student achievement.
At the 2026 international e-Assessment Association (eAA) Awards, EQAO received the Chartered Institute of Educational Assessors (CIEA) Educational Assessment Outcomes Award, which recognizes assessment projects and approaches that use assessment evidence to support meaningful improvements in teaching and learning.
According to EQAO, “Combining professional learning for teachers with classroom activity engagement, our award-winning project, developed in collaboration with the Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB), titled No Rush Zone: How EQAO and UCDSB Supported Student Confidence in Online Math Assessments, focused on helping students feel more prepared, confident, and comfortable when completing Ontario’s online mathematics assessments.”
Research
EQAO’s Data and Reporting Branch plays an important role in ensuring that the agency generates objective, reliable achievement data to support student learning and contribute to the development of fair and inclusive assessments. The agency has a robust research program that draws on student achievement, as well as questionnaire data collected from students, teachers, and school administrators. This program includes original in-house research projects, collaborations and partnerships with external organizations (e.g., Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Offord Centre for Child Studies, Hospital for Sick Children, Unity Health Toronto), and externally led studies through a research proposal process.
The data and insights generated through EQAO’s research program support student learning at every level of the education system. EQAO focuses on producing actionable evidence to inform classroom instruction and evidence-based decision-making, identifying key factors that influence student outcomes over time, and supporting continuous improvement in assessment policy, design, and delivery to ensure assessments remain relevant, equitable, and responsive to evolving educational needs.
EQAO research briefs are widely shared with educational stakeholders through multiple channels, including the agency’s public website, webinars, professional learning sessions, and conference presentations. These efforts ensure that research findings are accessible, practical, and useful for educators, system leaders, and policymakers, supporting ongoing improvements in teaching, learning, and assessment practices across Ontario.
EQAO was honoured with the Best Research Award for mathematics insights to support teaching and learning at the 2025 international e-Assessment Association (eAA) Awards. The agency describes this research as follows: “This study explores how distractor analysis from e-assessment data can be used to support mathematics instruction by identifying why students choose incorrect answers, and what that reveals about their misconceptions. Findings such as these lead to the development of instructional resources that are used by educators in schools to better support their students.”
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Most jurisdictions and testing organizations strive to develop large-scale assessments appropriate and accessible for all students. Some, however, such as EQAO, have developed comprehensive, long-term plans that establish clear and intentional processes and practices to advance equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility. Equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) have always been central to EQAO’s values, reflecting the province’s highly diverse student population.
One of the agency’s mandates is to analyze and report on student achievement data. EQAO collects information on sex and/or gender identity, as well as data on several groups of interest, including students with special education needs, students who are English- or French-language learners, and students who self-identify as First Nations, Métis, and/or Inuit. The agency does not collect other demographic data, such as race, ethnicity, or family income. For many years, the data have shown disparities among these groups of interest, prompting the agency to implement tools and processes to improve access to its assessments, especially for students with special education needs and English Language Learners.
In 2022, the role of Chief Assessment Officer (CAO) was expanded and renamed to Chief Equity and Assessment Officer (CEAO), with responsibility for embedding EDI across all facets of the organization, including its assessment program. Following the appointment of the CEAO, an Equity team was established to support the strategy, and a multi-year equity plan was created. To help mitigate potential barriers for test takers and ensure that assessments are culturally appropriate and responsive, the agency has sought input and guidance from a variety of stakeholders. For instance, EQAO has established and regularly consults with its Student Engagement Committee, a First Nations Collaborative Council, Métis and Inuit networks, a Black Communities Collaborative Council, and a First Nations Data Stewardship Advisory Committee.
At the 2026 international e-Assessment Association (eAA) Awards, EQAO was honoured with the Excellence in Accessibility (A11Y) Award, which recognizes digital assessment projects, institutions, and initiatives that make accessibility and inclusivity a core part of the learner experience. According to EQAO, “Our award-winning project, titled Accessibility by Design: Transforming EQAO’s Provincial Assessments, earned recognition for the work EQAO has done to move Ontario’s provincial assessments online, with accessibility built in from the start while maintaining the fairness and integrity of its large-scale assessments.”
EQAO Leadership
A recognized leader in large-scale educational assessment, EQAO, in collaboration with its assessment technology partner, Vretta, is hosting the 51st Annual International Association for Educational Assessment (IAEA) Conference in Toronto, Canada, from September 27 to October 2, 2026. Under the leadership of the agency, including its CEO, Dan Koenig, education and assessment professionals from around the world will gather to explore the theme of Trust, Transparency, and Technology in Testing. More information is available on the conference website: www.iaea2026.org.
Conclusion
EQAO should take great pride in its contributions to student achievement through its collaboration with dedicated teachers, administrators, parents and guardians, and community partners. The agency continues to innovate, champion equity, and uphold global standards in large-scale assessment. It is currently piloting AI applications for scoring and item generation projects.
Field support through the School Support and Outreach Team has been a key initiative that has brought significant success in helping school boards advance their goals outlined in their mathematics and board improvement plans. Another promising initiative, involving the development of learning progress modules to support student success in the classroom, demonstrates EQAO’s commitment to evolve and support student achievement across the province.
Congratulations to EQAO on 30 highly successful years of service. This remarkable milestone provides a strong foundation as the agency continues to fulfill its mandate and shape the future of educational assessment in Ontario.
RMJ ASSESSMENT 