B.C.’s decision to abandon letter grades in favour of four vague “proficiency” categories is the latest example of the move to do away with objective standards throughout Canada’s public education system. Traditional grading methods are too hard on the tender egos of young students, the logic goes. And the possibility of failure is outdated, if not downright racist. Christina Park reveals how this new system is failing parents, who have a right to know how their child is doing, and harming students, who may be denied the help they need. She also uncovers some “gritty optimism” about the possible return of coherent educational standards.
Bruce Pardy: Articles of Freedom: What the Constitution of an Independent Alberta Should Look Like
Alberta separatism is often dismissed – even within the province itself – as the domain of a few deluded rural hardliners. But the sentiment and