Letter
Published: Thursday, March 20, 2008
It is disappointing to read that some members of the BCTF may be contemplating job action to express their opposition to the Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA), an important tool in assessing children's learning outcomes.
The FSA is an annual assessment of how students in Grades 4 and 7 are performing in reading, writing and math. It is a valuable tool for measuring individual student achievement and it allows us to address learning challenges early before they become real barriers to student success.
This form of assessment has been in place for almost 10 years and experts, including B.C.'s own representative for children and youth, have found it to be a useful tool. Over the last year, I also travelled to school districts around the province where I heard from numerous parents, teachers and students about the importance of this assessment.
Reel 2 Real Celebrates 10th Anniversary.
Cutting edge online media, "Old School" classics, and Cultural Diversity will be highlighted at the Reel 2 Real International Film Festival for Youth from February 22 - 29, 2008. Festival Director Venay Felton announced, "The festival will be celebrating its 10th Anniversary with an Awards Night and Opening Gala screening, Red Like the Sky (Italy) on February 22 at 6:30 pm at the Vancity Theatre (1181 Seymour Street)." The movie is based on the true story of Mirco Mencacci, who lost his sight at ten years old but became one of Italy’s top sound designers for film. Seven of the awards will be chosen by youth juries who have taken workshops on Film Criticism. Visit www.r2rfestival.org for festival tickets or phone 604.224.6162