Ontario Should Dismiss Teacher Unions' Calls to End Standardized Testing
The Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF) has expressed deep concern that the provincial government's review of Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) testing excludes teacher expertise. However, the union's consistent recommendation to abolish EQAO testing reveals a clear agenda that may not align with educational improvement.
Declining Math Proficiency Despite Increased Funding
Recent EQAO test results paint a troubling picture of math education in Ontario. Only 58 percent of Grade 9 students in English-language schools meet provincial math standards, and this figure likely overstates actual performance since it only includes students who fully participated in assessments. The reality is that 42 percent of students fail to meet even basic mathematical benchmarks.
What makes these results particularly alarming is the simplicity of the standards being measured. Consider one test question involving financing options for a $500 purchase: students must calculate whether Option A (10% down plus 24 monthly payments of $20.63) or Option B (0% down plus 36 monthly payments of $15.56) is cheaper. The correct answer requires basic arithmetic, yet even among students meeting provincial standards, only 68 percent answered correctly.
The Union's Self-Serving Recommendations
The OSSTF's solution to these poor outcomes? Abolish the testing that reveals them and instead increase spending on hiring more teachers while reducing class sizes. This approach would coincidentally expand the union's membership and dues revenue while offering no proven educational benefits.
Historical data contradicts the assumption that increased spending improves outcomes. During the previous Liberal government's tenure from 2003-04 to 2014-15, inflation-adjusted public school spending per student increased by 39.4 percent. Despite this substantial investment, educational quality deteriorated significantly.
International Evidence Confirms the Trend
The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) provides compelling evidence of this decline. Ontario's average PISA math score dropped from 530 in 2003 to 509 in 2015. According to OECD estimates, this 21-point decline represents approximately one full year of lost learning.
This pattern demonstrates that simply throwing money at education problems without accountability measures yields poor results. Standardized testing like EQAO provides crucial transparency that allows parents and policymakers to assess educational effectiveness.
The Need for Accountability in Education
Teacher unions' opposition to standardized testing appears motivated by self-interest rather than educational improvement. When testing reveals poor performance in their field, their response is to eliminate the messenger rather than address the underlying issues.
Ontario's education system requires:
- Continued standardized assessment to measure progress
- Evidence-based approaches to improving math education
- Transparency for parents about student achievement
- Accountability measures that focus on outcomes rather than inputs
The provincial government should maintain EQAO testing despite union opposition. These assessments provide valuable data that can guide meaningful educational reforms. Without objective measurement, there can be no meaningful improvement in Ontario's struggling math education system.
