Fraser Institute reacts to criticism from NDP leadership candidate Adrian Dix

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      The Fraser Institute's director of school performance studies has rejected NDP leadership candidate Adrian Dix's criticism of his annual school rankings.

      Yesterday (February 7), Dix described the research into the institute's "school report cards"—which are based on Foundation Skills Assessment test results—as less rigorous than that conducted for fantasy hockey-pool guidebooks.

      Dix also called for the replacement of the FSA testing, which is administered to B.C. students in grades 4 and 7 to evaluate reading comprehension, writing, and numeracy.

      "To be a credible spokesperson for anything, Mr. Dix is going to have to say how it shows itself to be no longer useful and why it needs to be replaced, which he simply doesn't do," Peter Cowley said.

      Cowley also took exception to Dix's claim that the institute issues its annual report cards to boost its fundraising efforts.

      "To go on as he does in his penultimate paragraph is to suggest motives that he doesn't understand or know," Cowley stated.

      When asked what he would say to Dix if he had a chance, Cowley replied: "My response to Adrian would be: have you read the appendix that shows how we get the overall rating out of 10? Have you interviewed us with regard to the procedures we use from the day we get data from the ministry, check it in all sorts of different ways, pass it into our system, and do the calculations? Do you understand what we do with the data, Adrian? Do you have any possible basis for what you are saying?"

      In yesterday's statement about FSA tests, Dix highlighted the value of teachers doing their own assessments in classrooms.

      Cowley acknowledged the importance of this. However, he claimed that this has a "completely different use" than the FSA testing, "which is a broad-scale test that, for parents, gives a second opinion with regard to what they're hearing on a more regular basis from the child's teacher".

      Moreover, Cowley insisted that the institute's school report cards offer a "potential benefit" of showing educators which schools with similar charactertistics—"both personal and family"—might be performing at a higher level than theirs.

      "And if there are, let's find out how they're doing that, and let's see if they're using any practices or any new software or whatever it might be that we might be able to adapt for use in our own community," he added. "For those kind of things, the report can be, and is, used for by educators. And they will lose that capacity if somebody decides to eliminate the Foundation Skills Assessment."

      For a critique of the Fraser Institute's evaluations, see Eight distortions and other problems in the Fraser Institute's report card and War on public schools rages, both by Donald Gutstein

      Comments

      9 Comments

      glen p robbins

      Feb 8, 2011 at 3:41pm

      I would expect a response from Mr. Dix here. In particular I would like the aspect of class size and the impact of special needs children in particular grades - particular schools or other information which may impact on a particular teachers differing circumstance in one grade 4 or 7 class from another.

      My request would be to move away from a Family Guy episode on voting and zero in on the actual problems with the Report.

      Strataowner47

      Feb 8, 2011 at 3:45pm

      Does the BCTF have a political agenda? We all know it does. When it opposes measurement, it opposes accountability. The BCTF is driven by its own political dogma.

      Shepsil

      Feb 8, 2011 at 4:23pm

      As quoted from a comment on the same subject in The Tyee:

      <blockquote>Peter Cowley, the "Director of School Performance Studies" has the following impressive educational credentials:

      Peter Cowley is an education policy researcher at the Fraser Institute. Upon graduation from the University of British Columbia (B.Comm. 1974), Mr Cowley accepted a marketing post with Proctor and Gamble in Toronto. He later returned to Vancouver to begin a long career in marketing and general management in the furniture-manufacturing sector. During his assignments in general management, process improvement was a special focus and interest.

      Seeing as he went to school, he MUST be qualified as an expert.

      The FI and Cowley are a joke, and having Bountiful tie for the #1 spot has finally exposed this arms-length extension of the Lieberal PAB for what it is...

      I think teachers should start a Report Card of Banking, or even a Report Card of Neurosurgeons, as apparently any jackass can pump out some fecal matter that the mainstream media will feed off of.

      The FI's Report Card is to school rankings is what 'Consumer Digest', or 'Brand Power' is to product placement.

      Too bad some parents put more research into buying a flat screen than they do looking into their local schools.</blockquote>

      Seems Mr. Cowley may need to go back to school!

      Bruno15

      Feb 9, 2011 at 7:13am

      All I hear my friends with kids talk about is which schools are "good schools" and which ones are " bad schools". Parents already know what these rankings show. These rankings upset teachers who take them personally despite the fact that the public generally blames the parents for the lack of a child's achievement, not the teachers.

      RonS

      Feb 9, 2011 at 2:56pm

      I think the FI gets a "F" for the Foundation Skills Assessment tests. In fact parents are giving it the big heave ho by withdrawing their children from the tests. So why even bother publishing this article other than to show what a failure the FI and the FSA are.

      Taxpayers R Us

      Feb 9, 2011 at 9:15pm

      Dix is simply regurgitating union drivel. The BCTF just wants a free ride and zero responsibilities.

      pwlg

      Feb 10, 2011 at 6:59am

      Does the FI take into account the number of parents who have refused to have their children tested by the foundation skills exams?

      If they do, are they able to determine whether or not these students exceed foundation skills expectations.

      Teachers are constantly assessing the students in their classrooms, especially in primary and intermediate grades. If parents take a more active role in their children's education they would not need report cards or even the flawed "foundation" skills exams to tell them whether their children are meeting or not meeting or even exceeding the government's expectations.