Chilliwack – The President of the Chilliwack Teachers’ Association, Ed Klettke, and the BC Teachers’ Federation are calling on the Minister of Education, Jennifer Whiteside, to end the Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA). In addition, Ed Klettke is calling on the Chilliwack Board of Education to petition the Minister to end the test amidst what will be a challenging and unprecedented school year.
“Teachers and parents in British Columbia have become increasingly concerned about the Foundation Skills Assessment tests that are given to all students in Grades 4 and 7.
Since 2000, the FSA has been a required assessment by the Ministry of Education. The results have been misused by the Fraser Institute to rank schools on a very narrow measure. The data does not result in additional funding or support for students, and rankings are published in newspapers. The ongoing practice of ranking schools is harmful to students and staff.
Ed Klettke says, “The FSA tests were not developed with a focus on trauma informed practice. This test adds additional, unwarranted stress and anxiety to students who are already feeling the pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic.” Understanding that parents want to know how well their students are performing in school, Ed Klettke adds, “The best source of information about your child’s progress is their classroom teacher and not the FSA results.”
