[BC省新聞] B.C. government orders public schools job, government, teacher, schools, contain

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B.C. government orders public schools to prepare report cards, even if they’re mostly blank

Schools must deliver report cards this fall, despite teacher job action, the government says. But they're not likely to contain much information.


Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/life/government+orders+public+schools+prepare+report+cards+even+they+mostly+blank/5606133/story.html#ixzz1btpxsSZX

VANCOUVER - The B.C. government has ordered public schools to prepare and distribute report cards this fall as usual, even though they may contain little more than the student’s name and attendance record due to teacher job action.
In an email to school superintendents, deputy education minister James Gorman said regular report cards are required by law and if teachers won’t prepare them, then principals and vice-principals must do so.
“Report cards are an important educational tool for both parents and students,” Gorman writes. “A report is to be issued to every student regardless of the teachers’ strike, indicating at a minimum, the student’s division, teacher(s), courses, attendance and reports and/or grades for any classes taught by administrators.
“Parents should also be provided contact information to follow up directly with the teacher(s) if they wish to do so and to the extent possible.”
School districts are required to provide three written report cards and two informal reports during the school year, the deputy states. “The duties of principals and superintendents remain unchanged by the teachers’ strike.”
Jameel Aziz, president of the B.C. Principals’ and Vice-Principals’ Association, said report cards for the youngest students will be mostly blank because there are no marks in the early grades and reports are anecdotal, which can’t be drafted without teacher involvement.

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In schools where principals and vice-principals also teach classes, marks will be provided as usual.

Over the summer, teachers decided not to write report cards, attend staff meetings or communicate with administrators as part of a job action intended to pressure government to open its purse at the bargaining table. The contract with the B.C. Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) expired June 30 and while talks with the B.C. Public School Employers’ Association continue, there’s been little progress.

In Surrey, secondary school principals are planning to distribute report cards next week, with elementary principals following suit in the latter half of November. But Doug Strachan, the district’s communications manager, said parents shouldn’t expect much information.

The superintendent will be sending a letter to parents this week advising them that while teachers may not be writing report cards, they are still gathering information and sharing it with students in class, Strachan said. While some teachers may also be willing to meet with parents during instructional hours, there is no requirement for them to do so, he added.

Vancouver schools plan to issue report cards in late November or early December, but it has not yet been decided what information will be included, said communications manager Kurt Heinrich. They will include a list of teachers and contact information but “it’s very likely most will not have marks in them,” he said.

The district is encouraging parents to contact teachers directly if they have concerns and request a day-time meeting. Teachers may agree if they can find someone to cover for them in the classroom, he said.

Asked whether that might create disruption in classrooms, especially if a large number of parents request meetings, Heinrich said questions should be put to teachers, not him. “I don’t want to say what teachers are going to be doing or not doing.”

Teachers may find time to respond to parents’ emails during their prep time, he added.

The president of the B.C. Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils said the ministry’s order will obviously create challenges for principals and vice-principals and she hopes they will concentrate their efforts on students in need of prompt attention. Ann Whiteaker said she’s also encouraging parents who are worried about their children’s progress to contact teachers and request a meeting.

If teachers refuse, parents should insist that principals sit in the classrooms, if necessary, to find out how students are doing.

“They have to be able to do something,” she said. “These are our children.”

Last week, the employers’ association said teachers may face financial penalties if they refuse to help with report cards.

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The B.C. government has ordered public schools like Vancouver's Kitsilano Secondary to prepare and distribute report cards this fall as usual, even though they may contain little more than the student’s name and attendance record due to teacher job action.