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w w w . o a kv ill eb ea ve r.c o m O A KV IL LE B EA V ER Fr id ay , Se pt em be r 3 , 2 01 0 6 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5571 Classified Advertising: 632-4440 Circulation: 845-9742 Open 9-5 weekdays, 5-7 for calls only Wed. to Friday, Closed weekends The Oakville Beaver Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. OPINION & LETTERS Letters to the editor The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, ON, L6K 3S4, or via e-mail to editor@oakville- beaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. When the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO), at its recent 2010 convention, issued a statement calling for the Ministry of Education to implement a two-year moratorium on Grades 3 and 6 Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) testing, it didnt come as much of a shock. The organization, which represents more than 76,000 teachers across the province, asked the gov- ernment to do away with the standardized tests alto- gether earlier this year. Charging that the Ontario government has poured more than $100 million into the standardized tests, which have been administered in schools across the province since the late 1990s, the ETFO argues that the money could be better spent else- where. In addition, it says the drive for schools to improve their EQAO scores puts so much focus on literacy and numeracy that areas such as history, social studies and the arts get sidelined. Teachers feel theyre spending too much time in the classroom teaching to the test. Heightening the concerns is the fact that EQAO results form the basis for the School Information Finder, which real estate companies rely on to rank schools and neighbourhoods. We wonder why after 14 years of administering the standardized tests, schools have been unable to find a way to teach the requisite numeracy and liter- acy skills without sacrificing other areas of the cur- riculum. By now, shouldnt the numeracy and litera- cy preparations be integral components of not only Grades 3 and 6, but also the grades leading up to the testing levels? Earlier this year, Ontarios Auditor General con- cluded that the EQAO tests reflect the provincial cur- riculum fairly and accurately and are consistent in difficulty from one year to the next. Further, they serve as valid, consistent and reli- able indicators of student achievement. In short, EQAO, created as an independent agency in 1996 to conduct assessments and gather objective information from our schools, is at the top of the class when it comes to providing value for money. We doubt very much that a moratorium on the standardized tests would accomplish an effective review on how to best assess what our children are learning. The Oakville Beaver is a division of NEIL OLIVER Vice President and Group Publisher of Metroland West DAVID HARVEY Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief ROD JERRED Managing Editor DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director SANDY PARE Business Manager MARK DILLS Director of Production MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution SARAH MCSWEENEY Circ. Manager The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The coun- cil is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone 416-340-1981.Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Letter to the editorTesting the system Everywhere you go seems to have very strict pet laws, but why is it so hard for us, the pet owners, to follow them? One law that I strongly believe in is the leash law. The Ontario Law claims that your pet is to be leashed at all times when outside of your yard. Some exceptions are made, like off leash areas, or your enclosed property. The Oakville and Milton leash law states the animal con- trol by-law requires that dogs be leashed when they are in a public place or on private property with- out the consent of the property owner. It is the law to have your dog leashed at all times while on walks, in parks or other public areas. I am a dog owner and at times, find it stressful to go on walks because it is not uncommon to have loose dogs running at us from all different angles. Everyone who owns a dog, or is thinking of own- ing one should know these laws and take them into consideration, because you are responsible for your dogs actions, even if it's out- side of your home. Recently, I had my own run in with a loose dog. It was 1:30 a.m. and we were sitting in Coronation Park when a lost dog came strolling over to us. She looked confused, thirsty, and just wanted to go home. We called the 24/7 emergency humane society num- ber and took her there for the night. Thankfully, she was claimed the next morning by her owners. I truly believe they should make stronger penalties for people who do not abide by the Ontario Pet Laws. For you and your pets safety please make sure you have them on a leash. Don't just do it for you, do it for your community. JACLYN STOKX, OAKVILLE THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: ATHENAAward THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIALMEDIASPONSOR FOR: Recognized for Excellence by Canadian CirculationAudit Board Member Canadian CommunityNewspapers AssociationOntario CommunityNewspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America It was sad to learn from The Oakville Beaver (So many books, so little time, Aug. 27) that Treasure Island Books of Kerr Street, run by Bruce Ferrier for the last 37 years, will be invol- untarily closed this month. The progressive upgrading of Kerr Street over the past 30 years is welcomed. The downside is the loss of many specialty activities (tailor, dress maker, shoe repair, used clothing, South African butcher and now the used book store) that added colour and interest to the street, as well as much appreciated serv- ices. The immediate challenge is to find a new place where Bruce can relocate. Longer term it is hoped that the developers, Town and local community will be able find a formula to recover this lost colour and interest amongst the other stores linked to standard- ized chain businesses and staid offices. We would all be enriched by such a development. MICHAEL SUDBURY, OAKVILLE Lamenting loss of used-book store Pud BY STEVE NEASE neasecartoons@gmail.com Obey pet leash laws