The B.C. Teachersâ Federation is calling for an end to the Foundation Skills Assessment tests, citing concerns around the data collected and shared.
The BCTF makes an annual call for an end to FSAs, and the 2023-24 school year is no different. But BCTF president Clint Johnston said this year the union is really trying to call to attention the use of the data that is collected from the tests. He said the BCTF is in ongoing discussions with the province about provincial assesments.
The tests this year take place from Oct. 2 to Nov. 10.
âThereâs other concerns about the validity of the test and the data it provides and the fact that it doesnât seem to direct resources to identify gaps, but the main one that we are really trying to get dealt with, in a sincere way, this time is the data thatâs used to rank schools by the Fraser Institute.â
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The BCTF and education advocates have been vocal for many years against the Fraser Instituteâs school rankings, which Johnston said can do a lot of harm to students and school communities. The Fraser Institute is a Vancouver-based think tank that ranks elementary and secondary schools.
Foundation skills assessment were originally intended to be a âsnapshot, systems check,â explained Johnston, but he said the data from the FSAs can be used to tell people looking to purchase a home how good â or âbadâ â the school in the catchment area is.
âSuccess doesnât have a postal code.â
However, the Education Ministry told Black Press Media that âall schools in B.C. work to be places where students can succeed and meet their full potential.â
Ranking schools based on FSA results, according to the ministry, âdoesnât provide a full picture of student success and can stigmatize and marginalize school communities.â It added the ministry âproactively releases only aggregatedâ Kindergarten to Grade 12 provincial and district level FSA results through the BC Data Catalogue and the Student Success website.
FSA results are only available to schools and districts administrators, but can be released through a Freedom Of Information request.
The ministry added the Student Learning Assessment Order requires boards and district staff to ensure the FSAs are administered and information is collected according to assessment protocols. Itâs required for all students in grades 4 to 7.
According to the ministry, the overall participation rate for public and independent schools, with students in Grades 4 and 7 combined, was 73.5 per cent. That was up by 1.2 percentage points compared to 2021/2022.
But Johnston said itâs a standardized test on a limited range of subjects, and because itâs so well known it can lead to a lot of anxiety for students. Thatâs despite the test not counting toward report cards and grades.
âYou canât teach students that their education matters and that theyâre assessed in order to help them know where they have gaps and how to learn that and then tell them, âBut not this thing. Donât worry about it. Just write this.ââ
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