Ontario principals call for EQAO test to be cancelled amid teacher strikes

High school principals in Ontario have asked the education minister to cancel this year's Grade 10 standardized literacy test and delay it to next year in light of ongoing job action by teachers.

Grade 9 standardized math tests set for earlier this year werepostponed to June because of part of secondary teachers' work-to-rule campaigns included not preparing for or administering standardized tests.

Now, the principals say the Education Quality and AccountabilityOffice literacy test set for March 31 should also be delayed. They suggest postponing it until next year, and having a double cohort of students write it at that time.

"While contract negotiations continue, and withdrawals ofservice are ongoing, it is not business as usual in schools," writes the Ontario Principals' Council, along with their Catholic and French system counterparts.

Province has not responded to letter

They have also asked for Grade 9 students in semester systems tobe exempted from the math test that has been delayed to June, asthey will not have taken math in six months and have alreadyreceived their credits for this year's course.

Education Minister Stephen Lecce has not yet responded to theirletter, dated Monday, the Ontario Principals' Council said.

The minister provided a statement to The Canadian Press that didnot directly address the principals' request, but lamented the teachers' job action in general.

"Further union-caused strike actions disrupt the daily lives of many from report cards, to EQAO testing, to childcare arrangements for families," Lecce wrote. "This is an affront to students and families across the province, and we stand resolved to get dealsthat keep our students in class, where they belong. Enough isenough."

Accommodation for ESL and special needs' students at issue

All four major teachers' unions are engaging in work-to-rule jobactions as well as strikes including a provincewide strikeThursday by teachers in the French system and rotating strikes bysome elementary and high school teachers.

One of principals' concerns about the literacy test for this year is that accommodation requests for students with special education or English-as-a-second-language needs have to be submitted soon tobe considered.

But that task falls under the teachers' work-to-rule, and ifthose accommodations are not in place, it creates inequity for students who need those considerations, the principals said.

Students may also not be sufficiently prepared for the test dueto the teacher job action, and running the test on the day itselfmay not be possible, they said.