Sunday, November 15, 2009

BCTF takes Standardized testing fight to the You Tube portal



In a bid to engage the public more into the debate over Standardized testing, the BCTF has begun a media campaign to outline their position against the testing process in place in the province.

It is perhaps one of their most determined issues, as they continue to express concerns over how the test results are used and whether they provide the best feedback of a student's progress or understanding of the subject matter.

In the video released on YouTube, the issue of comparing schools at different ends of financial and social economic conditions is highlighted, that comparison is most used when it comes to the results of the FSA tests, the controversial Foundation Skill Assessments, which are used by the Fraser Institute to rank the elementary and secondary schools of the province.

The video goes on to express the wish for a more consultative process between the province's teachers and education officials, one which takes into account all of the factors that can affect a student's learning conditions and provides for a more authentic representation of their educational situation.

It is the hope of the BCTF that parents will become more involved in the process and help to gain a moratorium on the testing until a full review of its merits can be undertaken. The goal of the BCTF is to have a task force established to bring all education partner groups to develop a better system, one which the BCTF says should put learners first.

The next session for the controversial Foundation Skills Assessment program takes place from mid January to the end of February.

A full review of the BCTF campaign was featured by Janet Steffenhagen in the Vancouver Sun's Education blog, Report Card, you can catch up on that lesson plan by reading the item here.

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