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FRIDAY, JANUARY 21, 2011
❚INSIDE
High-tech heists
❚PHOTO/Tom Zytaruk
Sgt. Laura Malo, head of the Surrey RCMP’s fraud section, says fraud-based crime is growing at an alarming rate. See page 3
❚EDUCATION
Principals in Surrey mum on FSA tests
SURREY – She was Marisa BABIC surprised by the move, Staff Reporter but she applauds their stance. Surrey school board chairwoman Laurae McNally was responding to a call by the B.C. Principals’ and Vice-Principals’ Association to scrap the Foundation Skills Assessment tests in elementary schools. The annual FSA tests measure reading, writing and numeracy in grades 4 and 7. BCPVPA president Jameel Aziz says the tests have become too politicized to be of any value. McNally said Thursday there’s nothing wrong with the tests but trustees have objected for years to the way the tests are used by a conservative think tank to rank and compare schools. “There is value in assessment, I think everybody’s concern has been how the data was used by the Fraser Institute,” McNally said. Brad Bauman, president of the Surrey Principals’ and Vice-Principals’ Association, wasn’t available for comment at Now press time. McNally said she’s not aware of any concerns about the tests raised by the local association. “I haven’t heard any concerns in our district from the principals,” she said. McNally noted that the FSA tests are useful in providing a snapshot of student learning, but they don’t measure all learning such as student skills in the arts and sports and other areas. They also fail to take into account social and economic barriers to learning that some students face. “They are a snapshot of one day in the life of a child at a school,” she said.
see SURREY STUDENTS page 3
Cloverdale Antique Mall will soon be history T
The Cloverdale Antique Mall is shutting its doors. Owner Tim Garrett called it “the end of an era” after learning Wednesday that his attempts to negotiate a manageable rent increase had failed. “Perhaps this is a sign of the times,” he said. “These businesses are very expensive to operate and with property values and taxes increasing landlord expenses, those increases simply just get passed on to the tenant and then the tenants’ ability to pay squeezes them out of the market, that’s what has happened here. “It’s a real shame because I see our type of business disappearing from the landscape. Take a look around, it’s becoming a world of big-box retailers selling products that are made in the millions and sold by organizations whose only goal is to increase their bottom line.” A clearance sale that is sure to draw savvy antique collectors is slated to start Saturday, Jan. 29 to help prepare the 40 or so dealers in his mall, most of whom Garrett said are close to retirement age. He said the current lease ends at the end of February, although he is attempting to secure a bit more time to help the dealers clear out stock and make other arrangements. Cloverdale Antique Mall is at 106-17780 Hwy. 10, in Clover Square Village. – Carolyn Cooke