Surrey Teachers’ Association president calls for end to B.C.’s standardized tests
Posted October 13, 2023 11:21 am.
Opinions are divided when it comes to B.C.’s Foundational Skills Assessment for students in grades four to seven.
Jatinder Bir, the president of the Surrey Teachers’ Association, is calling for a halt to these standardized tests, saying testing children should not be a “one-size-fits-all.”
“A standardized test does not indicate whether a child will be successful in the future, whether they’re going to be successful in getting into university or getting into an occupation. The standardized test is not the make-or-break of a child’s learning,” she explained.
However, those at the Fraser Institute who use the data say the tests are meant to be a user-friendly tool for parents and school staff to understand how individual students are doing, and how schools rank overall, which can help when deciding where to enroll.
“We look at student scores on the Foundational Skills Assessment and then we look at the number of students who are exceeding or falling below the expectation — the provincial expectation,” explained Paige MacPherson, associate director of Education Policy, Fraser Institute.
According to the province, the Foundational Skills Assessment happens every year and looks at all of B.C. students’ academic skills. This year, it is being administered from Oct. 2 to Nov. 10.
“As a parent, I think there should be testing and examinations in the schools, for their future, for their confidence builder, for their skills knowledge,” said Surrey parent Gurvinder Kaurkailay.
“Where it contradicts is that on one side, we are saying we want to do the standardized testing, but on the other side we are saying each kid is individual and we want to promote their individuality,” added Sash Khanna.
The Surrey Teachers’ Association says the province should focus less on standardized testing and instead prioritize the significant teacher shortage and overcrowding in schools, some parents say they see the benefit of annual assessments.
Khanna says policy makers need to think bigger, as is pointed out in a petition she helped start, which calls on the government to implement long-term solutions rather than installing more portables.
“We still don’t know what the government’s plan is for expansion of the schools in the neighbourhood,” said Khanna.
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Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education and Child Care says school principals can only exempt students from writing the Foundational Skills Assessment in limited circumstances, like a family emergency.
In an email to OMNI News, the ministry adds ranking schools based on FSA results doesn’t provide a full picture of student success, and can stigmatize and marginalize school communities.
“If these standardized tests continue to remain, then we want targeted supports for those kids that need them. We want targeted resources sent to those schools, so then kids could have better outcomes, if that’s what they’re after,” Bir said.
