I'm absolutely incensed... I read today that 32,000 (25%) of grade 10 students failed a basic english skills exam! That means roughly 25% of grade 10 students are effectively illiterate! Now as scary as that is (if you need to ask why that's scary you may be part of that 25% and should seek a Montesouri or independant learning centre) the response from politicians and educators is worse.
They complain that these test results will demoralize the students and lead to higher drop-out rates!!! Their solution... get rid of the tests! Are these people serious! Let us follow the logic here:
a- 25% of students are failing basic english skills exams.
b- If something isn't done the drop-out rate will increase, as will the number of students failing to graduate.
conclusion- Get rid of tests.
Let's not bother trying to figure out why the students are failing, let's get rid of the indicators that tells us their failing. It's not that our glorious education system could be deeply, deeply flawed and useless. It has to be that the tests are messed up and biased.
If I worked off of that premise when my car failed a mechanics test I'd be riding the bloody TTC in quick fashion. I am sick and tired of hearing teachers complain about the system. I am fed up with their childish tactics of striking every time the Boards so much as contemplate education reform. If teachers and left politicians are so concerned about the future generations and their education, why in the hell do they continually defend the system and blame all the problems on the sinister and evil school boards?
Don't get me wrong. I think the unelected and elected officials at the Boards are equally small minded. But it's begining to look like a battle of ego's, and not a discussion to actually fix the education system.
Bah,
Fats
Oct-01-2002 21:32
torontotrance
I hath returned
Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Toronto
i think it is a possibility that the stats don't tell the truth. I assume that we have a decent number of people that are in canada in grade 10 that are new to speaking english or their english skills suck. You need english to succeed in life...
Oct-01-2002 21:36
Flec
*********
Registered: Oct 2001
Location: Toronto,Canada
yay i passed
Oct-01-2002 21:38
torontotrance
I hath returned
Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Toronto
errrrrr i did not make myself clear.
ROFL....
there are a lot of new people to canada that are in school with weak english skills, that probably accounts for some of them. But also i wonder what the standards are for the this testing.
Oct-01-2002 21:42
piggy
jace
Registered: Sep 2002
Location: Unionville, Toronto
w00t, i passed too, but i know someone that failed...and its not because he's illiterate...he can read and write, but its just like passing an english test
i think that the school system is flawed, my english sucks and i'm having a hard time in grade 11 english now, because in the previous years, we didn't really learn much about anything.
Oct-01-2002 21:49
dEsidEL
Fu Man Choonz
Registered: Aug 2000
Location: Below the Belt
did the skills tests count for any marks..?? i remember being back in highschool when they issued these PRovincial tests that didn't count for anything .. most kids didn't treat them seriously ..
so in effect this could instead mean that 25% of Grade 10 skool kids dissed the exam ..
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Palm Trees > Pine Trees , Sand > Snow
Oct-01-2002 21:50
piggy
jace
Registered: Sep 2002
Location: Unionville, Toronto
they don't count as in you are graded and you recieve a mark and it affects your average. they just tell you basically if you passed or if you failed...but it is required that you pass the OSSLT(i think thats what they call it) to graduate from high school...however i don't think that last years test actually counted.
Oct-01-2002 21:53
dEsidEL
Fu Man Choonz
Registered: Aug 2000
Location: Below the Belt
too bad we don't have something like the SAT"s in the US .. i'm guessing that this other test u mentioned is just so u can go to university but does it actually affect ur changes of gettin in depending on ur grade .. ?
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Palm Trees > Pine Trees , Sand > Snow
Oct-01-2002 21:55
piggy
jace
Registered: Sep 2002
Location: Unionville, Toronto
what other test? I thought i was only talking about the literacy test? you need to pass this to graduate from high school
Oct-01-2002 22:00
dEsidEL
Fu Man Choonz
Registered: Aug 2000
Location: Below the Belt
quote:
Originally posted by piggy
what other test? I thought i was only talking about the literacy test? you need to pass this to graduate from high school
sorry .. the literacy test .. that's what i meant. do you just pass it to get into uni or do you have to get a good grade too ? cuz maybe if uni's based entry on the grade level of the test then some kids might try harder to get a good mark as opposed to simply wanted to pass it ..
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Palm Trees > Pine Trees , Sand > Snow
Oct-01-2002 22:02
piggy
jace
Registered: Sep 2002
Location: Unionville, Toronto
nope, its pass or fail, and you need this to graduate from high school...and i'm assuming, just assuming, that you will need to have graduated from hichshcool to get into university.
Canadian Education, a top priority
I thought i was only talking about the literacy test? you need to pass this to graduate from high school
