It is time to say, “No to EQAO!” Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario Speak Out against Standardized Testing

BY PAUL JUNOR

There has been opposition to the continuation of the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) by the various teachers’ unions for the school year 2021-2022. The Ontario Ministry of Education nonetheless decided to continue with the Grade 3 and Grade 6 elementary EQAO tests despite perpetual calls for its cancellation.

On Friday, May 27^th, 2022, it was reported that there were technical difficulties during the operation of the elementary EQAO tests. The Canadian Press reported that the EQAO acknowledged that there had to be a pause in the testing as it attempted to resolve a technical issue.

Allison Jones reported in an article for The Canadian Press that both the Ontario NDP and Liberals pledged that they would overhaul standardized EQAO testing if they were elected in the June 2^nd, 2022 Ontario provincial election. Anne Kidder, Executive Director of People for Education, would like the EQAO testing to be done differently using representative samples rather than whole scale testing of all Grade 3 and 6 students.

There was no one available from the EQAO before the June 2^nd, 2022 election to provide up-to-date information with respect to what changes were made in the last four years, especially in light of adjustments related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sophie Auclair in a written statement to The Canadian Press states, “EQAO’s new online assessment allows for a more engaging experience, as students will benefit from interactive content such as multiple-select when they provide answers to items. Additionally, to assist students in being more comfortable while they are taking the assessment, we also incorporated optional built-in tools such as virtual breathing exercises, reminders of test-taking strategies, and minds-on activities, leading to a more seamless experience for each student,” 

Unfortunately, in spite of these promises, technical problems arose during this year’s EQAO testing for Grade 3 and 6. This is not the first time that the EQAO testing had to be stalled. On October 21^st, 2016, CBC News reported that there was a technical glitch in the new online literary test system.

One of the largest teachers’ unions, the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO) released a statement in response to the Friday, May 27^th, 2022 technical glitches. The statement reads, “ETFO has received reports that some students faced significant system lags, while other students completed entire sections only to learn that their answers did not save. This is inexcusable given the Ministry of Education had the opportunity to pause EQAO again this year. These predictable issues add unnecessary stress to students during a time that is already quite challenging.

Educators have significant concerns about the well-being and mental health of students. Adding EQAO-related anxiety and stress at this time is totally irresponsible.”

ETFO is concerned that the testing may have to be rescheduled at a later time and students have to repeat previous assessments complete with no guarantee the system won’t crash again. For this reason, it is time to say, “No to EQAO!”