Quebec teachers want 2 report cards per year: FSE union

A large majority of teachers want to reduce the number of report cards to two per year instead of three, both in elementary and secondary schools.

Teachers would like to see this change as soon as the next school year.

“Allowing teachers to teach more is a relevant way of attracting and retaining teaching staff while promoting student success,” said Richard Bergevin, president of the FSE-CSQ. “By reducing the number of report cards from three to two, as was done during the pandemic, the Minister would give teachers more time to go deeper into the subject, requiring less administrative action and helping to reduce anxiety in children. In business, time is money. In education, we could say that time is success.”

According to an internal survey conducted by the Fédération des syndicats de l’enseignement (FSE) and obtained by Le Soleil , 89 per cent of teachers support returning to two report cards, as was the case during the two years of the pandemic.

The survey, conducted last November and December, gathered responses from 9,614 out of 95,000 FSE members, representing about 10 per cent of the union’s membership and six per cent of all teachers in Quebec’s public schools.

Additionally, 66 per cent of teachers believe the current complexity of assessments harms student learning and adds unnecessary administrative burdens.

This concern is even stronger in elementary schools, where 82 per cent of teachers agree.

The current three-report-card system was introduced in 2011. Prior to that, Quebec students received four report cards per year.