Letters: Keep politics, religion separate; better ways to assess student learning

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Politics and church do not mix

Canadians have long supported the separation of “church and state.”
 
This principle is unknown in other parts of the world where a religion is not kept separate from the government in power. 
 
I question why some Canadian political leaders choose to be hosted and speak in a place of worship such as a temple or mosque or church. This is not appropriate in a western democracy. 
 
Albert D Fraser 

Rothesay

Student assessment technique needs improvement

There has been recent criticism leveled at the New Brunswick education system based on standardized test results. The expression, “Nothing is so unequal as the equal treatment of unequals” often attributed to Thomas Jefferson and even Aristotle, suggests the system treats all students the same regardless of their socioeconomic status, language, culture or learning disabilities. This expression is also sometimes used to describe the issue with standardized testing.

Governments rely on standardized testing as it is useful for evaluating schools even if no two classrooms are alike. Certainly, no two students are alike.

It is important to distinguish between these large-scale standardized testing programs, for example, international assessments such as PISA, and standardized assessments, such as those used by resource teachers and speech-language pathologists. Most standardized assessments have been developed and normed for a population whose first language is English. In New Brunswick, with an increasing number of immigrant or French immersion students, using standardized assessments to identify which students have a developmental language disorder is problematic because their norms do not apply to those students. This can result in an underestimation of these students’ true language abilities.

I have recently encountered a new innovative student assessment titled Curriculum-Based Dynamic Assessment (CBDA) developed by a local company called TRICOAST Education. The CBDA is exciting and unparalleled because it allows educators to identify students who may have a developmental language disorder even if they are not proficient in the language of instruction. This is done by assessing students’ learning potential, considered more appropriate for identifying their unique language needs. Applicable to all students, the CBDA also provides a personalized student report which can include remediation strategies.

I know classroom teachers who are diligent in providing instructional support for individual students and I am confident that they will use the appropriate assessments to achieve their goals.

W. Barry Miller

Hanwell