Thousands of students across the province are expected to feel the direct impact of escalating labour turmoil this month as high school teachers are being told by their union not to administer standardized provincial tests scheduled to begin next week.

As the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation gears up for a fourth one-day strike Wednesday — with members at several school boards outside of Toronto walking off the job and shuttering some high schools — it’s warning teachers won’t take part in testing done by the Education Quality and Accountability Office.

“We won’t participate in EQAO testing,” said Harvey Bischof, president of the OSSTF, which has been enmeshed for months in contract negotiations with the province and in November began a work-to-rule campaign. That will be the case for “as long as that remains one of our (job) actions,” he told the Star.

The EQAO is a provincial agency that assesses reading, writing and math skills through tests, which are administered by teachers. Grade 9 math tests for first-semester students are scheduled for Jan. 13 to 24, with second-semester students to be tested in June. Meanwhile, Grade 10 literacy testing is scheduled for March. Elementary students will be tested for all three subjects beginning in May and the union representing public elementary school teachers — the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario — is also in negotiations and as part of its job action will also ban participation in EQAO testing.

On Tuesday afternoon, the province said next week’s test was scheduled to proceed and any decision to cancel will be made in real time based on bargaining developments.

In a statement, Education Minister Stephen Lecce said, “Despite the government consistently being reasonable and offering enhanced offers to unions, they continue to actively and carelessly jeopardize the learning experience of Ontario’s future leaders.”

“Further union-caused strike actions could disrupt the daily lives of many, including report cards and EQAO testing. This is an affront to students and families across the province, and we remain focused on getting deals that keep our students in class, where they belong,” said Lecce.

The OSSTF — its 60,000 members include high school teachers in public schools and support staff in public, Catholic and French-language elementary and secondary schools — has been involved in negotiations with the province for eight months. On Nov. 26, it began a work-to-rule campaign, with educators withdrawing from some administrative duties. On Dec. 4, it held a provincewide one-day walkout and has since held two other one-day walkouts affecting select boards.

On Wednesday, OSSTF members at the following school boards will walk off the job: Peel District, Algoma District, Huron-Superior Catholic District, Greater Essex County District, Avon Maitland District, Niagara district, Limestone District, and Renfrew County District. Those employed by French-language public and Catholic school boards will participate in the one-day strike at select schools. All Peel public high schools will be closed but elementary schools will remain open. No Toronto school will be impacted by this day of action.

Bischof says teachers will participate in upcoming exams and fill out report cards — but noted they will be bare bones, without comments.

“There will be no effect on exams,” he told the Star. “So all of the preparations, extra help and whatever students get in order to prepare for exams — all of that will remain in place.”

Bischof says the Conservative government’s move to boost high school class size averages, introduction of mandatory e-learning, and erosion of supports are key sticking points. The union would like to bring the class average back to 22 — it’s now closer to 22.5 — but the government wants to increase it to 25, down from its original plan of 28. The province also wants to introduce two mandatory online courses for secondary students, also down from an original proposal of four. And, the OSSTF wants to restore educator and support staff positions to 2018-19 numbers for the length of any contract that is reached.

But Lecce has maintained the key issue is salary, with the province offering a 1 per cent increase in line with recent wage-cap legislation, while the union is seeking cost of living, or about 2 per cent. The minister has said it would eventually cost the province an additional $1.5 billion annually by the fourth year of a deal to give all the education unions raises at the rate of inflation and has said OSSTF members earn an average of $92,000 a year.

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No date has been set for the OSSTF to return to the negotiating table. All education unions are in the midst of labour talks.

NDP education critic Marit Stiles said parent and student support for education workers is really strong, because the impact of the cuts has been “devastating.”

“The fact that we’re seeing actions like this take place provincewide for the first time in more than 20 years and that families and students are still solidly backing the workers is a sign that people understand what’s at stake,” she told the Star. “What’s perceived to be at stake is the very future of our public education system.”