Thread by @reubenmahaffy

Curriculum Panel:

We can agree that some students in grades 1-5 struggle with literacy or numeracy.

We know that the earlier that these students are identified and can access extra supports, the better.

The panel and I don't disagree here. The panel and I DO disagree...

The curriculum panel and I DO disagree on how those students are best identified.

Standardized testing for early years students would catch some, sure, but is it effective? My high school students take standardized tests. Sometimes they are a good measure. Sometimes not.

Early years students already have a highly trained professional who spends more than 1000 hours with them over the course of the year. Their teacher is continually interacting with, assessing, teaching, and reassessing.

Their teacher is the professional who knows them best.

Their teacher has had experience with many other students of the same age. They are adept at identifying students who are not progressing at a typical rate and need additional supports. They have a line of communication with home to discuss the factors at play there.

But let's say we don't think teachers are up to this task, as our panel does, wouldn't an additional standardized test be a good check on the system? Some insurance?

For now let's put aside the issues with the standardized tests themselves...

Let's talk about the $. To develop this new assessment, field test it, administer it, analyze data, disseminate data etc. we are looking at a huge amount of money spent by the government. I don't see how the figure for this doesn't end up in the millions of tens of millions/year

For a government who has promised to hold the line on education spending, this means further cuts in the classroom. This will mean fewer early years teachers with larger classes to look after.

And when you start to stack the classes of these early years teachers while you shit-can their EAs?

THIS is when kids start to fall through the cracks.
THIS is when kids who need support get missed.
THIS is when kids lose.

So please, @AdrianaLaGrange, when you read this report, remember that if you want to invest in our future, you need to help those struggling students as early as possible.

And to do that we need real live teachers and EAs in their classrooms, not another standardized test.