Letter to parents clarifies processes around FSA tests
Board & Committees, Schools & Students
Vancouver’s Board of Education trustees have sent a letter home to parents of Grades 4 and 7 students clarifying the process for a parent to request their child be excused from writing the Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA).
For parents who want their child excluded from participating in one or more of the FSA components, the letter will streamline the process for requesting the exclusion. Parents will be able to place a checkmark beside one of three exclusions allowed by the Ministry of Education, before returning the form to the school principal.
The FSA is a set of three tests covering specific reading, writing and numeracy skills in the provincial curriculum. It measures skills students gain over several school years, not only in a single year. FSA scores are not letter grades or percentages, and do not count toward a student’s report card marks or graduation requirements.
Principals determine if students are excused from one, two or all three FSA components based on Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and English-as-a-second language (ESL) proficiency. Parents may request the principal excuse a student in the event of a family emergency, a lengthy illness or other extenuating circumstances.
