Provincial Testing: Time for Change (OTF Report)
There is no question that one of the issues that creates unyielding solidarity among OTF and the teacher federations is the political philosophy that has developed around large-scale testing in Ontario’s public schools! We all firmly object to provincewide EQAO testing and the use made of it in our schools by the Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat. As well, it is clear to us that the considerable funds required to carry out the government’s testing agenda would be put to better use supporting teachers and students with better resources, safer schools, and smaller class sizes, to name a few items. We also believe that teacher assessments are far more meaningful than assessment provided by EQAO testing will ever be!
OTF’s work on large-scale assessment dates back to the Royal Commission on Learning (RCL), which reported in 1994. EQAO’s initial mandate stems from the commission’s recommendation that an Office of Learning Assessment and Accountability be formed to administer, score, and report on large-scale assessments. The philosophy of the commission in recommending that such tests be carried out was clear – they were to be an aid in reporting to parents and in examining the content and delivery of curriculum; they were in no way to be used to place or rank students for any reason! In other words, the Royal Commission saw these tests as tools to check on the effectiveness of the curriculum in serving students’ needs only! Obviously, the direction that EQAO has advanced over the years since it was first established flies in the face of this directive.
OTF has been very active ever since on the lobbying and research fronts, including issuing a position paper entitled A New Vision for Large-Scale Testing in Ontario. You can view the entire document on the website otffeo.on.ca. OTF also formed an all-affiliate work group on these issues to promote, to the government and the public, a positive, comprehensive alternative. OTF believes that provincial testing needs to be de-escalated significantly. Given that Ontario students perform very well on international tests, broad-scale, all-in tests are completely unnecessary. Furthermore, OTF believes that there are numerous alternative ways to collect data that will inform educational policy; these means are less expensive and less intrusive, and will conserve valuable classroom time. OTF has strongly recommended to the government that the Ministry of Education collaborate with EQAO, OTF, and all teacher federations to explore alternatives to large-scale testing policies and methods.
OTF recently commissioned an Environics poll on the topic of "Ontarians’ Attitudes Toward EQAO Standardized Testing.” The preliminary reports suggest most Ontarians would not be disappointed if EQAO testing disappeared. In fact, Ontarians do not see the test scores as a salient indicator of either a school’s or a child’s success. The full report can be found on the OTF website, otffeo.on.ca.
