Survey Shows Support for Province Wide Testing

Thursday, April 17, 2008 10:27 AM

An overwhelming majority of BC parents support the BC Ministry of Education’s province-wide testing policy and believe parents should be able to use the results of those tests to compare schools, according to a new poll conducted for independent research organization the Fraser Institute.

The poll of more than 1,000 BC parents with children under 20 found that 83 per cent of parents support the right of parents to see test scores from province-wide reading, writing, and mathematics tests and use them to compare school performance.

The poll also found that 70 per cent of parents agree the Ministry of Education is on the right track with its province-wide testing policy.

“BC parents do want the best for their children. Part of that is having the ability to compare school performance and use exam results such as the FSA to do that,” said Peter Cowley, Fraser Institute director of school performance studies.

“The results of this poll confirm in a scientific way the support for the Fraser Institute’s annual report card on academic performance at BC’s elementary schools. It’s gratifying to see how in sync we are with BC parents.”

The Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA) has been the target of significant opposition from the leadership of the BC teachers’ union, which has mounted several campaigns urging parents to withdraw their children from the tests.

“The poll also broke out a subgroup of 98 respondents who are teachers or whose spouses are teachers. Among this group, 78 per cent agreed that parents should have a right to see the results of province-wide test scores and use them to compare schools. When asked about the Ministry of Education’s province-wide testing policy, 41 per cent said they agreed with the current policy with 49 per cent disagreeing.

“It’s interesting that even in teacher households, there is noticeable support for the Education Ministry’s policy on province-wide testing,” Cowley said.

The poll was based on a representative sample of 1,010 British Columbia parents with children under 20 years of age and is considered accurate to within 3.2 percentage points 19 times out of 20.

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Posted on Thursday, April 17, 2008 10:27 AM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: tinyapplecork on April 17 2008 10:38 AM

I participated in that poll. It was very well thought out. I am pleased by the results! Teachers may want more autonomy, but not if using taxpayers dollars. We spoke out parents! Great stuff!

Posted by: lostfaith on April 17 2008 10:53 AM

Ok, but perhaps the 83% of the 1000 people that took part were the only ones in the province that liked what they saw.
What about the other thousands of people that had no say?
Just a thought.

Posted by: Andyfreeze on April 17 2008 11:47 AM

This is a good thing!
We really need to be paying attention to the education our kids are actually getting,or perhaps not getting.
I used to hire a lot of kids with supposedly a grade 12 education and some of them could barely read!
Some of them actually could NOT read!
Some of them had NEVER read a book, they said!
And their handwriting was also unreadable in many cases, and their spelling was hilarious!
The I noticed the boys seem to be worse for this than the girls.
There is no excuse for that.
So how did they get through the system and graduate??
Do teachers actually teach anymore?
Do they teach things like punctuation and spelling?
Why can't many these kids read past about a grade 5 level?
Something wrong and it is the teachers who need to do something about that!

Posted by: realitysetsin on April 17 2008 11:53 AM

Ever see a teacher get fired?

Posted by: Andyfreeze on April 17 2008 12:12 PM

Good point!

Posted by: dow7500 on April 17 2008 2:12 PM

I thought the BCTF's campaign to have parents pull children out of these exams was absolutly rediculious. The annual Fraser Institute rankings get crapped on every year. The articles always start with "right wing think tank". All they have done is collect data. They don't say that PG schools or anyone else is stupid. How this data is interpreted is up to parents and whoever else cares. The BCTF is clearly running on their own back assed agenda as ushuall for wanting this testing stopped.

The flyer they sent out to parents on their rational for wanting to boycott the testing was unbelievable self serving swill.

Posted by: DanSet on April 17 2008 2:45 PM

QUIT DISSING TEACHERS OR TEACH YOUR KID AT HOME YOURSELF... YOU HAVE THAT CHOICE.

Parents who don't do their job by teaching their kids at home to support the teachers are the problem. Parents often freak out if the kid is failing a course and scream till the kid gets sent on so his "self esteem" won't be ruined by a failed grade.

I was floored when I heard a local kid got left behind in grade 5 this last year. He wouldn't do the work to earn the grade, and his parents didn't push him. I am surprised that the parents allowed him to be in 5th grade again... and the parents have to agree or else they get sent on and on...

Posted by: caranmacil on April 17 2008 3:25 PM

Teachers work for us. It is their JOB to teach our kids. We have a right, as their employers , and the parents of the kids to know whether they are doing a good job or not. I will not hesitate to 'dis' any teacher who doesnt do a good job. If the teachers dont like being evaluated on a results basis maybe they should come up with a better, objective method to monitor their performance.
I dont need to teach my kids to support their teachers (mindlessly i presume). They are taught to respect teachers and to try hard at school. The rest is up to the teachers. If i wanted to teach the kids at home, why would i need to send them to school?

Posted by: caranmacil on April 17 2008 3:25 PM

Posted by: justamom on April 17 2008 6:20 PM

I think as parents. We truely are thier educators. We need to instill work ethic, respect, determination, amongst other very important things. Even showing an interest in what thier knowledge - would be benefical not only to our children but also the teaching communities.

If parents sit back and expect our teachers to teach everything our children need to know...there is no bloody wonder kids are the way they are. 20+ kids =1 teacher.

Most households consist of 1 or 2 working parents. Time is limited and by setting a regular scheduled dinner or home work session, at least it shows your interest in your childs education. As parents it is our 'job' to make sure our kids get the most out of thier education. Not the teachers.

Here is a good example-When I was a kid my dad made me practice my hand writing--. I had struggled with my writing abilities and had very messy penmanship. As a parent he saw his child - was lacking in a particular part of education.
So he took it on himself to help improve these skills.He implemented writing and reading sessions, once a day, all summer...I still remember it --These were harder for him ( I realize that now, being a parent)--as he had to dedicate the time to insure I did my homework, and set aside his time to keep things on track. You know what ? 30 years later
I have impeccable writing ...and I shoot for perfection. Wonder what my writing would look like today if he hadn't shown an interest.

Posted by: tinyapplecork on April 17 2008 6:36 PM

I practiced my handwriting in the classroom. Where did you go to school? (rhetorical) I agree with caranmacil. We are the employers! NOT the other way around.

Posted by: realitysetsin on April 17 2008 6:43 PM

Being a parent is the best job in the world. You should not feel you have to help your child learn, you should want to.

Teaching the children is a collaborative effort between the Student, the Parent and the Teacher.

Posted by: Harbinger on April 17 2008 9:58 PM

Kids and adults can't read. No wonder the teachers don't want tests. It would only stand to reason that these tests would prove the obvious. Some teachers can't teach. Duh!!

Posted by: tinyapplecork on April 17 2008 10:44 PM

Perhaps an excellent point my friend.

Posted by: Andyfreeze on April 18 2008 7:34 AM

Perhaps the teachers would like to explain why so many kids who graduate cannot read,spell,punctuate,or add up a column of figures?
I don't blame the teachers themselves,I blame the school system,but the teachers are aware that there is a problem and need to speak up.
Are you listening Shirley Bond?