A prominent right-wing think tank has released its annual report card on B.C.'s elementary schools - but not everyone agrees with the results.
The Fraser Institute study measures the performance of students in grades four and seven in the mandatory Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA). The test is written by all Grades 4 and 7 students in the province and tests reading, writing and math.
The 2007-2008 Fraser study rankings are quite similar to year's past. Vancouver private schools, including Crofton House, St. George's, West Point Grey Academy and York House measured straight 10's for the fifth year in a row. Victoria's St. Margaret's and West Vancouver's Mulgrave also took top grades.
On the public side, West Bay, Chartwell and Ridgeview in West Vancouver ranked high, as did Burnaby's Buckingham and Abbotsford's Matsqui School.
On the other end of the scale, the lowest rankings include Alexander in Duncan, Roosevelt Park in Prince Rupert, Bayview in Nanaimo, Steeples in Cranbrook and William Konkin in Burn's Lake.
Related: Report Card on British Columbia's Elementary Schools 2009
But many teachers don't agree with the testing. The B.C. Teacher's Federation says the test is unfairly used by the Fraser Institute and that schools with more money often score a higher performance than inner-city schools because it can't differentiate between classrooms heavy with ESL and learning disabled students.
"If parent's want to know how good a school is they should go in and talk to the principals, talk to the teachers, talk to people in the community who've had their children in that school; they'll get a good sense of what happens in the school from doing that," says BCTF President Irene Lanzinger.
Earlier this week, B.C. teachers agreed to comply with a Labour Relations Board ruling to administer the test after being told not doing so would equate to an illegal strike.
Eighty-five per cent of B.C. teachers voted against administering the exam in December.
"We will be making it clear to parents and the public that we are in no way agreeing with, or are less concerned about, the tests and their continued use and misuse," Lanzinger said after Wednesday's vote.
