Unfortunately, much of the publicity surrounding these test results does not improve education. Surely we want to help schools that are working to meet the needs of disadvantaged student populations, not punish them. Delta teachers are not alone in our concern about the use and misuse of test scores. The Canadian Psychological Association and the Canadian Association of School Psychologists recently issued a joint position statement on the topic of press coverage of province-wide achievement test results. Indeed, there is growing evidence that such harm is already occurring in the United States from similar comments in the US press concerning the poor performance of certain schools on the state-mandated tests.
Misinformation can hurt students.
Let's learn a lesson from the excesses of the American high-stakes testing regime. Standardized tests are for system-wide improvement, not about passing or failing individuals. We encourage Delta parents to get involved at their neighbourhood schools and talk to their children's teachers to get a well-rounded sense of their students' achievement throughout the school year, not just on test day.