Letter to Families: Ancaster High preparing students for post-secondary success

Dear Ancaster High School Families,

Recently, media published a story online attacking the integrity of some Ontario high schools, alleging they artificially inflate grades.

Ancaster High School and the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) disagree with the report, which is based on a very small sample size of students admitted into the University of Waterloo’s engineering program. The findings published in the article are limited in scope and focuses on the success of students in a single program at a single university.

I want to assure you that Ancaster High School does an outstanding job preparing students for post-secondary success. In addition, staff work incredibly hard to support all students and do an excellent job preparing them to become successful at the post-secondary level.

As you know, Ontario’s high school students are required to undergo standardized testing administered by the Educational Quality Accountability Office (EQAO). The standardized tests represent independent confirmation that our students are achieving at high levels.

All secondary schools implement effective assessment practices within Growing Success, a document produced by the Ministry of Education that outlines assessment, evaluation, and reporting in Ontario schools. We share the Ministry of Education’s commitment to enable all students to reach their potential and to succeed.

In addition, we have defined high expectations at Ancaster High School and standards for graduation that apply to all secondary schools across HWDSB.

Our programming, including our International Baccalaureate program and our Specialist High Skills Majors in Aerospace & Aviation as well as Information & Communication Technology, are examples of the range of options that allow students to learn in ways that suit them best and enable them to earn their diplomas.

I trust this information provides greater awareness to what we perceived as an unfortunate reflection of our school community. If you have any concerns, please contact me at 905-648-4468.

Sincerely,

Randy Gallant
Principal