Alberta Teachers’ Association president Jason Schilling has issued the following statement with regard to the government’s Wednesday news release on the topic of literacy and numeracy screening:
“The Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) stands firmly against the province’s plan to subject every kindergarten and elementary student in Grades 1–3 to unnecessary assessments. The government’s suggestion that the Association played a role in the development of its screening processes and approves of the implementation is wrong and dishonest.
The government’s plan will require teachers to administer time-consuming and, in many cases, unnecessary tests to every student. This takes away from the time available for teaching . In a typical kindergarten class, five full days of teaching could be lost.
Through our Educational Research Award, the ATA supported research involving a small group of students whose learning fell below their age standard as documented on initial screening tests. After weeks of individualized instruction, these students were then retested to measure improvement. Surprise: teaching works.
In contrast to this model, the province is ordering teachers to test every student twice, and some three times, without offering sufficient targeted classroom support to students most in need.
None of this should come as a surprise to the government. The Association’s position has been clearly and directly communicated to the education minister and senior officials. They have chosen not to listen.
What teachers need is the discretion to decide when diagnostic testing can be useful and the ability to provide timely, impactful support for all students. That begins with properly funding public education.”
—Jason Schilling, ATA president
The Alberta Teachers’ Association, as the professional organization of teachers, promotes and advances public education, supports teachers’ professional practice and serves as the advocate for its 46,000 members.