Education Quality and Accountability Office
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Education Quality and Accountability Office
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Education Quality and Accountability Office
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EQAO > Assessments > National and International Assessments

National and International Assessments

The findings from national and international assessments and studies supplement and help establish a context for board and provincial assessment data. This information assists in setting educational priorities and is valuable for improvement planning. It also serves to measure Ontario students’ achievement against national and international benchmarks.

In addition to the provincial assessments, EQAO is responsible for coordinating Ontario’s participation in the following national and international assessments:

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    Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)

    The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is an international assessment conducted under the auspices of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) and assesses the mathematics and science knowledge of students in Grades 4 and 8. TIMSS was first administered in 1995 and has been conducted every four years since.
    More than 60 countries participated in TIMSS 2019. Five Canadian provinces participated: Alberta, Manitoba, and Newfoundland and Labrador in Grade 4 (as oversampling participants) and Ontario and Quebec in Grade 4 and Grade 8/Secondary II (as benchmarking participants). Canada-wide participation was coordinated by the CMEC.

    Ontario has participated in the study since its inception. Previous administrations were conducted in 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2019.

    The next administration will be held from April 3 to May 12, 2023.
    For more information about Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the full report on the 2019 administration, visit the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) Web site.

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    Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS)

    PIRLS reports every five years on the reading achievement of Grade 4 students worldwide and is sponsored by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement. The study looks at nine-year-olds’ ability to read authentic literary and informational reading passages.
    PIRLS was first administered in 2001. PIRLS/ePIRLS 2016 – Canada in Context: Canadian Results from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study provides the results for the fourth cycle of PIRLS.
    PIRLS/ePIRLS 2016 – Canada in Context: Canadian Results from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study [PDF]
    In spring 2016, over 340,000 students from 50 countries participated in PIRLS; in Canada, over 18,000 students took part in the cognitive assessment in either English or French across eight provinces (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador). Information about students’ homes, schools, and classroom contexts was also collected in PIRLS, via background questionnaires that were completed by the students being assessed, their parents or caregivers, their school principals, and their teachers. CMEC released the results on December 10, 2018.
    The next administration will be in 2021 when PIRLS will provide data on trends in comparative reading achievement across countries over two decades.
    For more information about the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) and the full report on the 2016 administration, visit the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) Web site.

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    Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)

    PISA stands for Programme for International Student Assessment. It is an international study that measures the abilities of 15-year-olds in reading, mathematics and science. In Canada, PISA is coordinated by the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC). 

    Read more about the program.

    Seventy-nine countries and economies took part in PISA 2018. Over half a million 15-year-old students, including 22 500 Canadians, were tested on their skills and knowledge in three core learning areas: science, reading and mathematics, with a main focus of reading.
    The next administration will be held between April 18 and May 27, 2022.

    For more information about the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and the results of PISA 2018, visit the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) Web site.

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    Pan Canadian Assessment Program (PCAP)

    PCAP is a program of national standardized tests of reading, math and science skills administered every three years to Grade 8 students. It is an initiative of the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC). The participation of Ontario students is coordinated by the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) on behalf of the provincial government.
    Each assessment focuses on a major domain with a minor concentration on the two other domains.
    • In 2023, science will be the major domain.
    • In 2019, math was the major domain.
    • In 2016, reading was the major domain.
    • In 2013, science was the major domain.
    • In 2010, math was the major domain.
    • In 2007, the first administration of PCAP, reading was the major domain.
    The information gathered in these cyclical tests of student achievement in mathematics, reading and science provides the provinces and territories with a basis for examining their curricula and improving their assessment tools. It also tells Canadians about how well their education systems are meeting the needs of students and society.
    The next administration will be held from April 17 to May 26 in 2023. 

    For more information about the Pan Canadian Assessment Program (PCAP) and the full report on the 2019 administration, visit the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) Web site.

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    The International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS)

    CILS is a computer-based assessment that investigates the ways in which young people understand and use information and communication technology (ICT) in the digital age. This study is the first of its kind to assess Grade 8 students’ acquisition of computer information literacy (CIL) skills using an international comparative research perspective. ICILS is a program of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) and was first administered in 2013.

    Twenty countries participated in ICILS 2013, including Canada. The Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) coordinated Canada’s participation. In Canada, only two provinces participated—Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador. Since a representative sample of Ontario students (English and French) participated in ICILS 2013, valid and reliable comparisons between Ontario and the other participating jurisdictions are possible. Ontario’s participation was coordinated by EQAO on behalf of the provincial government.

    In total, approximately 60,000 students from about 3,300 schools participated in ICILS 2013. In Ontario, approximately 3,700 students from nearly 200 schools participated. Since the assessment is administered to a random sample of students, individual student, school and school board results are not available.
    ICILS succeeded the Second Information Technology in Education Study (SITES), which was last administered in 2006, and consisted of school and teacher questionnaires on how computers are used in classroom instruction in science and mathematics in Grade 8.
    For more information about the International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS), visit the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) Web site.

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