ir a contenido The union placed ads in newspapers and talked to local labour councils urging parents to refuse the tests. In several areas, teachers sent home letters directly to parents. In response, the Ministry of Education put pressure on school administrators to require students to take the test over the opposition of their parents. Some school boards attempted to stop teachers from talking to parents or sending home information about the tests. The union filed a grievance against the school districts that were attempting to block the right of teachers to give their professional opinion to parents. An arbitration had previously determined that teachers do have a right to speak on professional matters, including getting factual information directly to parents. That right was reaffirmed and eventually the BCTF and the organization that represents the school districts negotiated the text of three letters that teachers can send home or give to parents. The 2009 administration of the FSAs saw many students withdrawn from taking the test. In some cases, nearly all the students were excluded. This makes a significant challenge to any claim of validity to the ranking of schools. Seeking alternatives Parents and the community do have a legitimate interest in knowing how their schools are doing. However, that interest needs to be met with valid approaches that include the school community in deciding what they value and whether that is being achieved. To change the focus, the BCTF at its annual meeting in 2009 called for a moratorium on the testing for two years and the creation of a task force to examine the issues. The task force would look at these questions of how to legitimately answer the questions of how the school is doing. The Ministry rejected the call for a moratorium and proceeded with trying to force school districts and school administrators to harass parents who want to keep their children out of the tests. In response, the BCTF continued on with its campaign to encourage and support the parents desiring to keep their children from these tests. Looking at the issues surrounding standardized testing is proceeding whether the Ministry is interested or not. Several school districts and union locals have agreed to have a local task force to discuss testing. The provincial organizations in education are also committed to talking together about these issues in some kind of committee. A group of progressive individuals from within and outside the school system have also begun discussion and research about appropriate ways for answer legitimate questions about how our schools are doing. The BCTF has identified areas that should be examined. In addition to looking at what types of evaluation are legiti-
mate and useful, it has called for attention to the impact of testing on the joy of learning and teaching. More details are available on the BCTF web site at bctf.ca. Work on education policy is an appropriate role of unions Few dispute that teacher unions should work on behalf of their members, seeking good conditions of work, as well as pay and benefits that are appropriate for a profession. However, the role of educator unions in education policy is more likely to be disputed by some in the public and even among some union members. The case of standardized testing is an example of where the conditions of work of teachers and the interests of parents, students and the community require that all parties take part in examining what we want from our schools and how we know whether they are producing what we want. Processes that are democratic and inclusive are required. Unions must take a role in ensuring that opportunities for broad-based discussion exist and that teachers’ views and needs are a part of that discussion. The BC Teachers’ Federation has played a significant role in ensuring that t teachers clearly have a right to freedom of expression of their professional judgment, even on contentious issues.
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