What is Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA)
As most people know, the B.C. Ministry of Education’s Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA) is a set of reading, writing and numeracy tests administered each winter to B.C. students in grades 4 and 7. In our district the FSA will be administered between mid-January and mid-February.
What does it measure?
FSA does not measure students’ ability to memorize specific facts; it measures reading, writing and math problem-solving skills that students have gained during several years of learning. Some of the questions are easy and some are more challenging. Students answer the multiple choice questions on the computer and do their written work in a booklet. FSA results do not count toward student grades. The purpose of FSA is to provide a “snapshot” of how well B.C. students are doing over time.
The Ministry of Education, and our school district, do not support the rating or ranking of schools based on FSA results. The Ministry states FSA provides valuable information on student learning, but is only one measure of student performance. School rankings based solely on FSA ignore other important measures of student achievement and fail to account for factors such as demographics, location, school programming as well as some of the various features that characterize individual schools and school populations.
What happens with results?
FSA results are provided to school districts and schools so that they may learn what is working well and where there might be room for improvement. This will allow schools to identify trends over time and introduce new methods and strategies to help students learn better. Individual student results will be sent home to parents when they are provided to schools in mid-March. A copy will be kept in the student’s personal file.
What does it mean?
The Ministry of Education, and our school district, do not support the rating or ranking of schools based on FSA results. The Ministry states FSA provides valuable information on student learning, but is only one measure of student performance. School rankings based solely on FSA ignore other important measures of student achievement and fail to account for factors such as demographics, location, school programming as well as some of the various features that characterize individual schools and school populations.
Where can I get more information?
The Ministry of Education website (http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/assessment/fsa) provides provincial, district and school results. Results for individual students who took part in the assessment will be provided to schools and sent home to parents in mid-March. You will also find further information and activities to help prepare your child for the FSA.