"I send my children to school to be educated, not tested."
- @atypicalalbertn on Twitter
As you may have heard, the Alberta government recently announced that it will be phasing in mandatory literacy and numeracy screenings for K-5 school children.
The tweet quoted above was one of the responses I saw, and it's what prompted me to write this email to you.
You see, like most opposition to this idea, it sounds catchy, sure, but it doesn't actually make any sense when you think about it for more than a second.
It's a bit like saying, "I want my aircraft to fly, not pass safety tests."
Which would be an odd thing for "a typical Albertan" parent to say.
But Jonathan Teghtmeyer, the person behind the handle @atypicalalbertn, is not really "a typical Albertan".
In fact, he is a communications coordinator for the Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA).
I guess you could say this makes him more of an "atypical Albertan", than "a typical Albertan"?
Interestingly, Teghtmeyer claimed to be speaking "as a parent", not as a union boss, despite directly quoting a comment his boss had made on the official ATA Twitter account.
Now, obviously, some ATA bosses are actually parents too, and we're sure they want the best possible education for their kids too.
But, they shouldn't pose as "typical" parents in an attempt to make it seem like the teachers' union's preferred policy is also parents' preferred policy.
The ATA is actively calling on the Province to leave parents and our elected representatives in the dark, without access to these key insights into the efficacy of the reading and math instruction our children receive.
And they're claiming that that's what parents want.
In reality, over 3,000 parents have signed our petition calling on Alberta Education to stand up to the ATA and stick by their promise to deliver this crucial data, and more, to parents.
Parents are demanding this information and insight because they know it will help.
Research shows that early and frequent assessment of the youngest children’s skills in reading and math is unquestionably beneficial.
It also shows that parental involvement is one of the most important predictors of a child’s success in school.
Clear assessments, with easily explained results, are one of the key indicators that parents can use to understand how well our children are learning.
That then allows us to hold our kids, ourselves, and the school accountable for those outcomes.
Parents are the real experts in our own kids, and we think we should put the best data in the hands of the real experts.
Because, ultimately, long after they leave a particular teacher’s classroom or even a particular school, our children are our responsibility.
So, let us take responsibility, and give us the information we need to do the job right.