Why we don't need EQAO tests

Why we don't need EQAO tests

           

           The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) was first established in 1996. The government established the EQAO system to see if students are eligible for writing and mathematics. This program was first introduced to grades 3, 6, 9, 10 and is still used today. In 1995, Ontario's Royal commission on learning recommended such tests for Ontario students. The commission made this recommendation after consulting with parents, educators, students and others who wanted greater accountability and assurance of Quality in the public education system.  

           First of all I think that the EQAO tests are a waste of time because student could be learning something that is worth learning. Usually the common question people ask is "Do we need the EQAO test". In my opinion we don't need the EQAO test because it's a waste of time and it's too expensive. For one year it can come up to $16.5 million plus an extra $77 million spent by the Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat designing and approving programs designed to improve test scores. In total the cost can reach up to $93.5 million each year. Instead that money could be spent on educational purpose. Setting up the EQAO tests can be risky to use. The EQAO test can be stolen by any student or teacher. In the past there have been recent attempts to steal the EQAO test. About five years ago a Grade 10 student stole an EQAO test from school. The  Grade 10 student of Port Dover Composite School faces criminal charges after he allegedly walked outside of school during the Literacy Test with an exam copy in his hand. Now because of this incident the EQAO had to create new questions and test them out. The student was suspended from school and faced charges of possession of stolen property under $5,000. Standardized tests being rigged to boost scores of students writing them. If the tests were tampered then the test scores would have been much higher. The number of Grade 3 students meeting the provincial standard in reading has jumped from 50 per cent to 62 per cent in the last five years. The number of Grade 6 students who met the provincial standard in the same subject jumped from 56 per cent to 64 per cent in the past four years.

            In conclusion we don't need EQAO tests because there a waste of time and very expensive. In total the cost can reach up to $93.5 million each year instead that money could be used on educational purpose. The EQAO tests could be stolen by anyone who is in the school. The tests are boring and use the same concept since 1995. The government says that the EQAO test is a very valuable diagnostic tool. The tests create stress, focus too narrowly on literacy and numeracy, and result in no clear benefits for children. In end this argument explains exactly why we don't need EQAO tests.