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6- The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday February 13, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com OPINION & LETTERS The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 845-3824, ext. 224 Circulation: 845-9742 Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: The Oakville Beaver is a division of IAN OLIVER Group Publisher Media Group Ltd. NEIL OLIVER Publisher DAVID HARVEY 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 ALEXANDRIA ANCHOR Circ. Manager Fact versus fiction The lockdown at Sheridan College last Friday proved just how valuable (or invaluable) the Internet could be when reporting a fast-breaking story. There was no shortage of information about what was going on at the Oakville campus. However, some of that information was just pure rumour posted on Facebook or texted by anxious students to family and friends. Initial reports suggested a gunman, dressed in camouflage was seen in the college's library. A teacher and several students observed an individual enter the school carrying a long tubular object they thought was a rifle. The school quickly went into lockdown mode and police arrived on the scene. Students, confined to their classrooms, used cell phones to record images of police in full tactical gear and posted entries to Facebook. Media-savvy students called various newspapers, TV and radio stations to report what they believed was happening on the inside. Sheridan's own webpage carried a brief message alerting parents, students and media to the situation. But with stories such as this, rumours were bound to fly. Within three hours, it became clear that no shots were fired, no one was injured and there was no shooter on campus. Police have confirmed what the witnesses saw was actually a tripod. The Oakville Beaver, like all the other media outlets, did its best to keep readers abreast of the news flowing from Sheridan. Our sister publication, Oakville Today, had someone on the `inside' relaying updates, as they became available. But with such widespread communication at our fingertips, we must all exercise some degree of caution when texting or posting information. The police have a difficult job as it is and do not need the aggravation of having to chase down or respond to rumours. College president Robert Turner told one media outlet that we live in a different world now. He is so right. This is a world of immediate communication and a world where there is always the very real possibility of a threat on campus. 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@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Board explains assessment, evaluation practices In the Halton District School Board's recently adopted Mission Statement, the board states it is committed to every student. It is this commitment to every student that frames our practice of assessment and evaluation in classrooms across the school system. Assessment and evaluation practices have been the subject of recent media reports. We would like to thank the community for its concern around this important component of public education. In an effort to clarify, we would like to assure the community that in the Halton District School Board we have aligned our assessment, evaluation and reporting practices with the provincial policy established in 1998. Like other Ontario school boards, we continue to work with principals and teachers to ensure this policy is implemented and that our classroom practice provides fair and equitable evaluation. Be assured that teachers in the Halton District School Board can deduct marks for late and missed assignments, but this practice is done only as a last resort. First, teachers are expected to use a variety of strategies to ensure students hand in work on time and to change the behaviours that are obstacles to their success. These strategies might include: · helping students with time management skills; · providing a calendar of critical dates for major assignments; · breaking down major assignments into smaller stages throughout the semester; · communicating with parents about due dates and late assignments; · getting to know the students so legitimate reasons for missed deadlines can be considered; · giving detentions where students are required to work on the assignment. The ministry policy requires all school boards to evaluate two aspects of student learning: student achievement of curriculum expectations, and learning skills (work habits, organization skills, etc). If a student hands in work late or fails to submit an assignment, the teacher has no information regarding his/her achievement of the "curriculum." Not meeting deadlines or not submitting work, are behaviours that should be addressed by the teacher and reported under "learning skills." Teachers in the Halton District School Board continue to support the Pud BY STEVE NEASE snease@haltonsearch.com See Policies page 7 The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone 416-3401981. 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.