TORONTO — The Ontario government has appointed a new expert advisory body to conduct a wide-ranging review of student achievement and assessment across the province, a move aimed at improving outcomes in core academic areas including reading, writing and mathematics.
The initiative, announced Wednesday by the Ministry of Education, will examine how Ontario evaluates student performance and how the education system supports learning, with particular attention to standardized testing conducted by the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO). The review forms part of the province’s broader effort to strengthen accountability and raise academic standards within publicly funded schools.
“Student achievement must always come first in Ontario’s education system,” said Paul Calandra, Minister of Education. “While there has been progress in recent years, too many students are still not meeting provincial standards. Our government will continue using every tool available to keep Ontario’s education system focused on accountability and a back-to-basics approach to support student achievement, so that students can reach their full potential and be prepared for good-paying, rewarding careers.”
The advisory body will be chaired by William (Bill) Robson, the long-time president and chief executive officer of the C.D. Howe Institute, a Toronto-based public policy research organization. Robson has led the institute for two decades and previously served eight years on Ontario’s Postsecondary Education Quality Assessment Board, where he helped oversee certification standards for postsecondary programs and provided recommendations to the provincial government.
Joining him as advisor is David R. Johnson, an emeritus professor of economics at Wilfrid Laurier University. Johnson has spent nearly 20 years researching the economics of education, with a focus on student achievement, assessment practices and access to postsecondary education.
According to the Ministry of Education, the advisory body will review Ontario’s current student assessment framework, including the structure and role of EQAO testing. The group will analyze trends in student performance and identify underlying factors affecting achievement levels in key subjects.
The government said the review will focus particularly on literacy and numeracy outcomes, areas that policymakers and educators have highlighted as central to long-term student success. Officials say the advisory body will also examine disparities in achievement between different student groups and regions, with the goal of recommending ways to close persistent gaps.
The review is expected to explore how assessment practices influence classroom instruction and student learning, as well as how teachers, parents and schools use testing data to support student progress. The government said the group will deliver recommendations designed to provide clearer strategies for strengthening student outcomes across the province.
Once completed, the advisory body’s final report will be submitted to the Minister of Education and made publicly available. The government says the recommendations are intended to help ensure teachers have the tools needed to support students effectively while maintaining a strong public education system.
The announcement comes as the province continues to emphasize what it describes as a “back-to-basics” approach to education policy, prioritizing foundational skills such as reading, writing and math.
The initiative also follows the passage of the Supporting Children and Students Act, 2025, legislation introduced last year that expanded the Ministry of Education’s oversight authority. The law streamlined and broadened the minister’s powers over school board finances, governance and program performance.
Provincial officials say the new advisory review will complement those changes by providing additional analysis of how Ontario measures and supports student achievement.
The government has also highlighted record levels of education funding as part of its broader strategy. Ontario plans to invest $30.3 billion in Core Education Funding during the 2025–26 school year, which the province says represents a historic level of support for the education system.
That funding is intended to strengthen core academic instruction, expand support for students with special education needs and increase access to school-based mental health services. Provincial officials say the investment is aligned with the government’s goal of improving student performance in fundamental subjects while ensuring students receive the support required to succeed.
Education stakeholders are expected to closely watch the advisory body’s findings, as its recommendations could influence future policy decisions related to testing, curriculum delivery and school board accountability.
The government has not provided a timeline for the completion of the review but indicated that the findings will play a role in shaping future efforts to improve academic outcomes and ensure Ontario students are prepared for further education and the workforce.