The teachers' job action is likely to continue into November when report cards are sent home, leaving parents without their usual gauge of academic performance.
"The teachers, of course, have to follow the labour relation board ruling, which is that they do not prepare report cards; however, there are many, many ways that teachers can communicate with parents," said Louise Herle, Sunshine Coast Teachers' Association (SCTA) president. "Some of the strategies are things like sending home graded assignments, sending home projects and quizzes and exams and then asking parents to sign them and hand them back. Some teachers are using portfolios, performance standard rubrics, other forms of ongoing assessment, informative assessments, so that parents and students are very aware of the progress that's being made in their overall achievement."
Superintendent of School District 46 (SD46) Patrick Bocking sent a letter home to parents last week explaining the situation.
"As we move through this job action, I strongly encourage parents to contact their child's teacher(s) on a regular basis. The partnership between teachers and parents is crucial to best meet the needs of our students," Bocking said. "While teachers are not completing report cards during the job action, there is no other restriction for parent/teacher contact except that there will not be a formal parent/teacher conference session. Please feel free to contact your child's teacher to arrange for a discussion at a mutually convenient time."
To help with the process, SD46 will have two early dismissal days on Nov. 23 and Nov. 24 to allow teachers some time to meet with parents if they choose to.
"That does allow some instructional time for teachers to make phone calls or send emails or connect with parents, especially of struggling students, so there are no surprises," Herle said.
She notes that Grade 12 students will still get some form of grading from their teachers during the regular reporting period.
"The ruling does allow for teachers to provide Grade 12 students' marks, which are required for graduation, post-secondary and scholarship applications," she said.
Negotiations are still dragging on at the provincial level between B.C.'s teachers and the British Columbia Public School Employers' Association (BCPSEA), and there is no end in sight to the teachers' job action.
While there have been rumours circulating about a lockout, a message from the BCPSEA chair said that although a lockout is an available tool, the BCPSEA is not contemplating using it at this time.
A statement from Minister of Education George Abbott released Oct. 13 implies the government is looking at other ways to combat the job action.
"New legislation will create a teacher regulation system that puts the public interest first," Abbott said. "Very shortly we will be engaging the public and tabling our plan to move education forward, hand in hand with teachers, parents, students and all those who share an interest in ensuring our province's bright future."
The plan has five key elements: personalized learning for every student, quality teaching and learning, more flexibility and choice, high standards and learning empowered by technology.
The key elements sound good, but no one seems to know exactly how the government plans to put them into action, Herle added.
"It's pretty vague; it could mean anything," she said. "When you say you're going to individualize instruction, does that mean every kid has a computer and doesn't have a teacher? Does it mean we're going to the distance learning approach, which is a cash cow and something that some districts use because you don't even have to heat a building or have brick and mortar?"
