We are thrilled that our pressure worked and the FSA tests that were scheduled for October are postponed. Of course, a pandemic is not the time to hold standardized tests for so many reasons. As you well know, we have been running yearly campaigns to ask parents to withdraw their children from these Grade 4 and 7 tests. We do not believe a census test is necessary to gauge the efficacy of the school system, and we are concerned about harm to children who get stressed and anxious when writing them. There are also concerns about time spent doing the test that takes away from instructional time and monopolizes the computers in the school for an extended period. Worst of all, the results are not used to provide extra staffing or supports for “needy” schools, rather, we see the results being used by such entities as the Fraser Institute to rank schools, causing damage to morale in the schools. We continue to urge the government to abolish the tests altogether.  

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