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Education
FSA test rhetoric gears up
Principals and vice-principals want FSA replaced without political baggage. by Maria Rantanen
mrantanen@mrtimes.com
Troy Landreville/TIMES
Hangin’ around Richard Osborne from S.E. Engineering Ltd. went to great heights to inspect the exterior of the Maple Ridge Business Centre on a rainy Tuesday afternoon.
Education
Bursary book causes friction Trustee Dave Rempel wanted a fund to honour a former secretary-treasurer who was well respected in the district. by Maria Rantanen
mrantanen@mrtimes.com
A bursary, bearing the name of a former school distirct secretary-treasurer doesn’t make the grade. The bursary, fundraised to honour one of the founding members of the Ridge Meadows Education Foundation, will not be included in the district’s bursary book due out soon. Only reason given: It’s a directive from senior district staff. When secretary-treasurer Don Woytowich left the district because of health reasons a year and a half ago, a few community members wanted to recognize his work for local education by raising $1,200 for a bursary in his name.
School board trustee Dave Rempel said brought up in a closed school board meethe was the one who suggested the buring, the reasons for exclusion can’t be sary be set up. It was intended to honour made public, Unwin insisted. someone who worked for the She said there is a long process district for a long time and was and set procedures for getting burrespected among employees. It saries into the school district book, also acknowledged his role in and argued her reasons for not starting the RMEF. including it were “valid.” “I felt this would be a good Establishment of the bursary was way to recognize this person,” done with “great intent,” Rempel Rempel said. said. It will be used to support When the criteria were education – even if it’s not in the decided on and the process folbook. lowed, the RMEF asked for its “When you’re given lemons, inclusion in the school district’s make lemonade,” Rempel said. Dave Rempel bursary book. At last week’s board of education That request was denied. meeting, both Rempel and trustee School board trustee The decision not to include Kathie Ward expressed displeasure the bursary in the school district book at being removed as the school board repwas hers, said district superintendent Jan resentatives on the RMEF board. Unwin. Because the book is a school disHowever, Maple Ridge Councillor Cheryl trict publication, it is in her “purview” to Ashlie, who also sits on the board, said make that decision. both will be asked to join as community Since it was a “personnel issue” and members.
It’s that time of year when students in Grades 4 and 7 start writing the foundation skills assessment, and when the political rhetoric starts flying. Every year, the principals and teachers get caught up in the controversy which damages relationships, said local school board chair Ken Clarkson. And this is largely because the data is used by the right-wing Fraser Institute to rank schools throughout the Ken Clarkson province. School board chair “The Fraser Institute misuses (the FSA data),” Clarkson said. “They’re not statistically valid in the way they’re using them.” The BC Principals’ and VicePrincipals’ Association released a statement Wednesday saying the FSA should be replaced with another “standardized measure” that doesn’t have “political baggage and rhetoric” around it. They say the misuse of data by the Fraser Institute, low participation rate, and lack of effort from students taking the test make it “flawed.” The annual kerfuffle over FSA works well politically for both the teachers’ union and the Liberal government, according to Clarkson. He said union and school district have come up with a compromise: teachers can send home material about the test but can’t talk to students about it, and administrators won’t challenge parents who withdraw their students.
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