BCTF hoping for ‘responsible use’ of FSA data
KAMLOOPS — The president of the BC Teachers Federation is hoping the new NDP government will take steps to help protect the information of students in this province when it comes to Foundation Skills Assessment tests.
The annual tests are written by students province-wide in grades four and seven and attempt to gauge how students are doing in the foundational skills of reading, writing, and numeracy. The BCTF doesn’t believe the tests “help students learn or help teachers teach.”
“B.C. is a bit of a wild west, not just on campaign financing — and we’re glad that’s being cleaned up — but also on the collection of information on children and youth without clear guidelines around who has access to that information, how long it’s retained and for what purpose,” BCTF President Glen Hansman told CFJC Today.
He says the information subjects schools to the “ridiculous shaming and blaming perpetrated by the Fraser Institute” rankings each year.