Thinning the Alphabet Soup (Collective Bargaining)

Data walls,  teacher-moderated marking,  critical learning  pathways,  running records,  benchmark assessments, numeracy assessments,  early literacy observation tools, district review team visits, electronic data entry, pre- and  post-assessment  tasks, class profiles, mock EQAO tests, SMART goals, Alpha-Jeune, PLCs, LNS,  PRIME,  CASI,  DRA,   GB+,  OLA,  APA, OFIP, IEPs,  CIL,  PLAB,  ONAP, OWA… Educators across Ontario are  swimming through an  ever-growing alphabet soup of  new initiatives  introduced by  the  government, school boards, and principals. Many of  these initiatives  are driven by an accountability  agenda with little regard for the increased  workload they entail.

Collective  agreements  provide  protection against  excessive  workload demands.  Recent negotiations have resulted in  improvements  to teacher preparation time  scheduled within  the instructional day so that you can  attend to your professional responsibilities. You have the right to  determine how to  use that  time. Occasional teacher contracts stipulate that you are to follow the  timetable of  the  teacher you are replacing, including   scheduled   preparation time.  Hours of work and uninterrupted  lunch times are clearly designated in  educational and professional support personnel  contracts. Early childhood educators  in  Early Learning Program classrooms are guaranteed rights  under labour legislation. ETFO will  work to  expand on  those basic rights  during contract negotiations. Your  employer cannot expect or require you to give up your rights.

THE BALANCING ACT

All ETFO members  feel pressure to use preparation and/or personal time to  complete tasks associated  with  what   administrators often  call  “the attainment  of achievement  objectives.” Members report that the multitude of  expectations  means there is little time left for effective teaching and learning. Balancing workload demands is  part of  the job.  But  when  unreasonable expectations and arbitrary deadlines interfere with the work you do with students, it’s time to step back and reflect upon your professional goals and  responsibilities. Certainly  there  is   an  obligation  to   teach, evaluate, and report on  student progress. And undoubtedly, some  initiatives  provide valuable information as you develop plans and programs to meet student needs. The key is to  recognize that you are responsible for making decisions about which strategies are most appropriate to use with your students.

A MULTITUDE OF INITIATIVES

Some  school  boards  enthusiastically  embrace every  opportunity to  measure student achievement, while others demonstrate a more restrained approach.  In  one way or another, educators  are dealing with all of the following initiatives, which represent only  a  sample of  the  many projects being implemented in Ontario schools.

IEPS

Individual  education plans  (IEPs)   require that precise  academic  and   behavioural  goals   be recorded, measured, and  evaluated. There  are ever-increasing demands on  educators to  document every aspect of  student achievement and behaviour.  When do those who participate in the development of  IEPs  find  time  for  meaningful consultation  so that they can establish  effective plans?  In  some locations,  creative  administrators have found ways to schedule blocks of time during the instructional  day to allow staff teams to  collaborate in  the  preparation of  IEPs.  ETFO members in  every school should be  requesting and  expecting this kind of support.

ASSESSMENT

Some  boards inundate  teachers  and  students with tests and data. In  such instances, teachers administer, mark, analyze, and  submit data from as many as twelve tests per student, per year. In many cases, these  assessment tasks are  above and beyond  those mandated  by the government. Marking tests can take many hours. The workload associated  with them becomes more  cumbersome when administrators  request that data be entered or displayed in a specific format. You should record assessment  data in  a  format useful to you. For example,  you may choose to  input  data  electronically or  display  results on data walls. Alternatively, you may choose to record the information  on paper and store it in a file folder or binder. The data must be available for the principal to view on request. When deadlines and other expectations are imposed by  administrators, you can request release time to deal with the additional workload.

SCHOOL MEETINGS

Teachers  are  expected, not  required, to  attend regularly-scheduled   staff meetings. However, teachers feel significant pressure to participate in meetings and in-service sessions  because they believe they may otherwise be at a disadvantage.  If  the information  or activity is considered  essential, then release time should be provided.

PARENT EVENTS

Many schools plan literacy or numeracy events for parents, which often take place during the evening. ETFO members  need to remember that attendance at these events is  voluntary. If  you are expected to prepare materials or activities to contribute to  parent meetings, adequate  time should be provided within the instructional day.

ADMINISTRATOR VISITS

As  part of  the School Effectiveness Framework,  board administrators  visit schools to make observations  and determine what  further supports might be required. In  some schools, the principal mandates  specific displays and staff members are expected to  make them happen before the district review team visits. Educators  should remember that elementary education doesn’t benefit from artificial or contrived demonstrations of teaching  and learning during these visits.  The board team needs to see a realistic ‘snapshot’  of what’s happening  in schools and  classrooms and there should be no need to make special preparations.  Time during the instructional day must be provided  if members are required to complete tasks specific to these visits.

A BARRIER TO EFFECTIVE TEACHING

We’ve probably  all heard the expression, “Too many cooks spoil the broth.” In Ontario schools, the alphabet soup pot is already  brimming with an overabundance of initiatives. The result is an unsavory  concoction of demands which are becoming  more and  more difficult for educators to digest. ETFO members  understand   that unreasonable expectations  and arbitrary timelines only serve to create barriers to effective  teaching and learning. Contact your local ETFO office when you have concerns about your workload. Your collective agreement provides protection against excessive demands; the key is for you to request and expect to be  provided  with the supports you require. After all, when it comes to meeting student needs, elementary educators  know best.