Try an education plan Hints emanating fo the Legisiature would indicate that Mike Ilarris and bis Tories have at least one foot planted firmly at Queen's Park. Trouble is, now theyjust go round and round in circles. Take John Snobelen, Minister of Education and Training. Snobelen once promised new ideas, new directions, and at the very least (or worst, depending on who you believe) new processes and new goals. .Ail he has done to date is create a mini-crisis. He did that by telling a few bureaucrats that in order to change things, one flrst had to create a crisis. Someone taped the session and someone else leaked the tape. Beyond that, Snobelen hasn't accomplished much. I know, I know. You're going to say that cutting $400-million from education ain't notbing. True. But that cut came from Ernie Eves, treasurer of Ontario, with a goal-crease deflection from cabinet. Snobelen didn't even touch the puck. The latest fr-om the land of Oz hinted at a new massive projeet: annual teste in every grade in reading and math. Wonderful. There's an old expression that dlaims that those -who race marathons to see how fast they can run are like farmers who keep pulling up the carrote to see if they're growing. Annual testing would be something like that. Testing studente i9n't, of course, that big a deal. It's being done now, i a variety of fbrms. Itfs what is often left unsaid about standards and the testing can be frightening. Think about it for a moment. To do common testing in each grade requires that every Grade 3 student i Ontario write the same test. Fine. But do th" annually, with a standardized test, and by year two the test will define what is taught rather than measure what is learned. .Put that aside for now. Good firm rigorous teste would allow us to compare student with student, teacher with teacher, sehool with school, board with board, and, gosh darned it, if other provinces and states and countries would ail use the same test, we would compare ourselves with everybody in the world. But why? You could use this information te identifr those students who need extra help. Then you could hire extra experts te, provide exactly the help needed. This is very expensive, since this help must be given in small groups, or one-on-one. Teachers know who those students are now, without extra testing. (If Ithey don't we really have a problem.) However, we can't afford te provide ail the help these studente need now. Do you believe for a minute that Snobelen wiil come up with the money to change, that? Anybody. who thinks so has his beanie cap on backwards. Well, if we're not going te use the tests for remedial work, what then? Fire teachers? Administraters? Entire boards? Fine, if you like witch hunte. 0f course, you could just keep failing students who don't make the grade. 'ihat sort of"Inspection mode" idiocy went out of style in industry decades ago. It only creates waste, and when children are the raw material, we can't afford waste. What then? What about a detailed plan which will identify the weak spots in education, work progressively te eradicate them? A plan te make our education systein even better., te give I irJ ..?C WITYJLINCTION STATION, C. 1903.10 The names of the mon on the handcar are- not known. The station was built near the site of the present GO Transit Station, in 1903. In 1970 it was moved to the corner of Henry and Victoria Streets to become the Whitby Arts Station Gallery. ýOn Dec. 11,p 1914, Bily Soe might telegraph oPerator, was murdered in the station. Soe Whftbr Archive Photo fi-o the 10 YEARS AGO frmteWednesdaY, April 16, 1986 edition of the WHBY FWREPRESS " A new elementmry shool for thePringle Creek area received approval and should open ln SePtember, 1987. 0 Mayor Bob AtteruleY tUrned the sod for a $1.4 million expansion cf the Whitby Dupont plant. " A *54,398 Wntario grant will be used to upgrade and repair the Luther Vlpond Memorial Arena in Brooklin. " About 1,500 former students attended the Anderson Collegiate 25th arnniversary reunion on April 12. 35 YEARS AGO from the Thursday, April 13, 1961 edition of the WHIBYWEKLYNEWS 0 Fifty-one laid-off workers have been recalled to the Dunlop Tire plant a One of the oldest houses in Whitby Township was destroyed by lire on April il. a Susann Schilling, a Grade 10 student cf Henry Street High School, and hier brother-Nigel, a Grade 13 student~ were awarded Firt onourable Mention for their projecta at aToronto Science Fair. *A central recreational council lias been formed for WIhitby Town and Township. 100 YEARS AGOl from the Friday, April 17,1896 edition cf the WB1TBY CHERONICLE *The Whitby Fruit Growers' Association was formned last week with David Ormistoù as preuident and Elmer Lick as vice-president. * The residences of James IL Downey and Mrs. J. Richardson have been wired for electric lighis. *Samiuel Quigleys boot and 8110e store and stock have been seized for nôn-payment cf rent and taxes. * Whitby resiidentsarasked to dlean upgarbageintheir yards 'acn cause diphtherla. - Whltby Free Press, Weckiesday. April,17, 1996,Page 7