The B.C. Teachers鈥� 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.
鈥淭here鈥檚 other concerns about the validity of the test and the data it provides and the fact that it doesn鈥檛 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 that鈥檚 used to rank schools by the Fraser Institute.鈥�
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The BCTF and education advocates have been vocal for many years against the Fraser Institute鈥檚 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 鈥渟napshot, systems check,鈥� explained Johnston, but he said the data from the FSAs can be used to tell people looking to purchase a home how good 鈥� or 鈥榖ad鈥� 鈥� the school in the catchment area is.
鈥淪uccess doesn鈥檛 have a postal code.鈥�
However, the Education Ministry told Black Press Media that 鈥渁ll schools in B.C. work to be places where students can succeed and meet their full potential.鈥�
Ranking schools based on FSA results, according to the ministry, 鈥渄oesn鈥檛 provide a full picture of student success and can stigmatize and marginalize school communities.鈥� It added the ministry 鈥減roactively releases only aggregated鈥� 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. It鈥檚 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 it鈥檚 a standardized test on a limited range of subjects, and because it鈥檚 so well known it can lead to a lot of anxiety for students. That鈥檚 despite the test not counting toward report cards and grades.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 teach students that their education matters and that they鈥檙e assessed in order to help them know where they have gaps and how to learn that and then tell them, 鈥楤ut not this thing. Don鈥檛 worry about it. Just write this.鈥欌��
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