The Vancouver Sun: District gives teacher a black mark
A letter of discipline goes into educator’s file for refusing to administer test
Published: Friday, September 28, 2007
VICTORIA – A Langford elementary teacher won’t be suspended but has been issued a letter of discipline for refusing to give a required reading comprehension test to her Grade 3 class last spring.
A notice to Kathryn Sihota from the Sooke school district said the letter will be placed in her personnel file and the B.C. College of Teachers will be informed
.
The district also said her refusal to follow her principal’s direction to issue the test constituted insubordination, and that further misconduct could mean more discipline “up to and including dismissal.”
Kathryn Sihota, who refused to give her Grade 3 class a reading test, has been told to administer the test next year.
The district said it expects Sihota, who teaches at Millstream elementary, to administer the disputed test — called the District Assessment of Reading Team or DART test — when it comes up again next year.
The decision by the Sooke board of education followed a hearing Tuesday, in which more than 100 teachers from Victoria and other parts of the province staged a rally.
While district officials would not discuss the decision, the information was released by the Sooke Teachers’ Association, a local affiliate of the B.C. Teachers’ Federation. The association is filing a grievance about the disciplinary action.
Sihota, co-president of the Sooke teachers’ group, said she was still considering her options with respect to the test.
“Spring’s a long way away. I haven’t decided what I’ll do next. I’m kind of hoping that the support that was here the other day from across the province may sway the board’s decision about making the test mandatory.”
In many other districts using DART, the test is not required, Sihota said. “It’s a tool that’s available for teachers, but it’s not a mandatory test.”
The teachers’ association has said it is concerned about how the district uses information gathered from DART. The district maintains the test yields valuable data on how students are faring and how the education system can respond to their needs.
Sihota said she did what she felt was best for her students. “I feel that I’m standing up to protect my kids.”
© The Vancouver Sun 2007
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I fully support Sihota’s position. These assessments can easily be provided on Grade 3 students without the stress of writing a scary formal exam. Reading capability is a very sensitive subject with many children and encouraging them privately in cooperation with their parents is the way to go.
The Sooke District School Board must be sent a strong message on this.