FSA Tests - But Don't Make a Mistake

This week my daughter was administered the FSA test.  For those of you who are not aware of what this is here is a paste from the BC Ministry of Education website.

The Foundation Skills Assessment is an annual province-wide assessment of British Columbia students' academic skills, and provides a snapshot of how well BC students are learning foundation skills in Reading Comprehension, Writing, and Numeracy.

The main purpose of the assessment is to help the province, school districts, schools and school planning councils evaluate how well students are achieving basic skills, and make plans to improve student achievement. FSA is designed and developed by British Columbia educators. The skills tested are linked to the provincial curriculum and provincial performance standards.

So my daughter was given her numeracy test.  This is a math test.  I was shocked to find out that she was handed a calculator.....CALCULATOR!  Holy crap.  How is this supposed to assess how well children are achieving basic skills?  Grade 4 math with a calculator - I am flabbergasted by this.  My daughter has never used one and I can only imagine that it added to the confusion and the whole testing process.  Do you really need a calculator for basic math? NO.

Later on I asked one of her friends, who goes to another school in Vancouver, whether they had been allowed to use calculators and, yes, they were.  In both cases the teachers apparently handed them out to the children (I sure as hell have not bought a calculator for my children).  My daughter asked her teacher "Isn't that cheating?" - I love her! - and was told by her teacher that for this exam it was "OK".

The problem is that the FSA is a test that is not only used to assess children but it is also used to rank schools.  And so, I imagine, the various public school boards and independent (ie. private) schools use this to compete, increase enrollment, and market their abilities.  The problem is that this goal of self-promotion has become the more important objective and they are using the children they are supposedly educating as tools to make the grade rather than focus on what the test is meant to accomplish.  So what if you end up dead last....you'll know you have a problem and learn from your mistakes.

Children are still allowed to make mistakes and learn from them, aren't they?

Let me know what you think about what you have just read. Please and thanks!

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