The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) is calling on Education Minister Paul Calandra to use the delayed release of Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) results as an opportunity to fundamentally reconsider the role of standardized testing in the province.
ETFO President David Mastin says the longstanding provincial reliance on large scale test scores oversimplifies achievement and fails to capture the full scope of student learning in Ontario schools.
The union says EQAO results do not adequately reflect the realities of classroom instruction or the diverse needs of learners. ETFO notes that students who are English language learners, have special education needs or are affected by poverty are poorly represented when their progress is distilled into one numerical outcome. The union argues that classroom-based assessments led by teachers offer more accurate and holistic measures of growth.
ETFO also points to increasing classroom pressures, including larger student numbers and fewer supports, saying that relying on narrow test results is discouraging for both students and educators. The union says the delay in releasing EQAO data should spark a reconsideration of whether the testing model still serves educational goals in Ontario.
Instead of reinforcing a system they describe as narrow and ineffective, ETFO is calling for assessment practices rooted in equity, guided by teachers, and reflective of everyday learning. The union says families deserve evaluation methods that recognize skills and achievements beyond standardized testing.
ETFO represents approximately eighty-four thousand public elementary teachers, occasional teachers, designated early childhood educators, education support personnel and professional support personnel.
(Written by: Joseph Goden)