Chris (
February 17, 2007)
The children are put through enough testing! Let them live a little and enjoy life. Let them be kids! |
J (
February 16, 2007)
I don't have a problem with testing in general. I think finding out where schools are academically is fair. What I do have a problem with is the stress put on the students to prepare for the BIG TEST! I think the school boards and teachers should be aiming for a successful year overall. If students are being taught well, the tests will reflect. As a parent of four children I want to know that each child had a good year, not just a given level on one test. Knowing people that have marked these tests in Southern Ontario, I also know that the tests are marked by individuals who will decide the grade level. I would have more confidence in a computer marking system with less room for human error. |
CONCERNED (
February 16, 2007)
The current curriculum puts enough stress on elementary children in and of itself. Beginning with too much homework. Their life away from school should be their life to do what makes them individuals.
I understand teachers are obligated by the curriculum to issue homework in order to complete all the required "strands". (Especially in a test year) The result is frustrated children and teachers.
They did good by mainstreaming all levels of students and then implemented a curriculum that not all students can succeed at.
Test them in grade 9 when it might matter for post secondary, and let the children be children.
Everyone (specifically the Ontario government) is to concerned about "keeping up with the Jones' " And the children pay the price for vanity. |
Dave (
February 16, 2007)
Since the standards for teaching are province wide, and are the minimum accepted level, it should be continued. Schools that meet or exceed the minimum standard should be rewarded, those failing to meet a should be penalized.
A less than acceptable level of elementary school leads to a poor performance in secondary school, which in turn leads to a career in fast food service! |
HB (
February 15, 2007)
As a parent I have never agreed with this type of testing. It has never proved to me what my child has or has not learned. It also does not tell me what the school has or has not taught. Each area of the Province is different and the needs of each area are different. In fact I have found that it has caused a high level of stress and anxiety that is not needed. What confuses me about the testing is that educators spend a great deal of time teaching the children HOW to understand the test, as the test itself is almost an exercise in obfuscation. Our educators are already overloaded with many demands besides what is in the set out curriculum. We do not need to add to their burden with additional workloads.
My oldest child went through two of these tests and did very poor on both. He told me after each of the tests that he had a very hard time understanding the questions as they where very confusing and could be read different ways. Yet he still managed to achieve marks to enter into University and is doing extremely well there. Recently in a phone conversation with him the subject of the Provincial tests came up. He advised that the questions on the University exams where quite straightforward and nowhere near the convoluted style of the Provincial tests. So what does this tell us about Provincial testing? To me a useless waste of time and effort.. I would like someone to tell me how much this all costs. Instead of testing we should be concentrating out efforts in getting more resources, funding and teachers for our schools. |
Derek (
February 15, 2007)
Why test if the results are not used to improve education? My son is in a class of 32 kids, 15 of them "high needs". Their grade results in the testing have obviously been sub-standard, yet there's no money or leadership to help reduce class size or address the large number of high needs kids and their time-demand on the lone teacher. Looks like we'll follow the well beaten trail of switching to the Catholic system in search of something better, even though we're not Catholic. It's sad really. So I must wonder, why test if there's no means of taking action? |
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