The only people who need to know how students score on standard achievement tests are the educators who give the tests. They can use the results to see how they measure up to other schools and determine if changes need to be made to their curricula.

Perhaps the only thing many students get out of knowing these tests results is anxiety.

We could just ask students in grades 3, 6, and 9 at Yellowknife Education District No. 1 how they felt when they heard they scored below the Alberta curriculum standard of acceptance in math and language arts.

The academic abilities of these students was judged after a day or two of testing using material that was written according to Alberta provincial standards of education.

Yet, these same students spend several months in school being tested, writing papers, exams and projects to determine if they have the skills to move to the next grade level.

Therein lies the problem with achievement tests. A student's ability should be measured over a period of time and incorporate many factors including, but not limited to grades, social skills, sports, extra-curricular participation and volunteering. Educators at Yellowknife No. 1 will now try and figure out why their students failed to make the grade compared with Alberta students. Before they begin this task, they may want to heed the words of assistant superintendent, Bruce Jansen:

"One of the issues we need to look at is how important are these tests for students."

He is right. Test scores are only one piece of the academic puzzle that we should use to measure students' progress.

Maybe the educators will also consider testing our students with material that was written using NWT standards of education.

Trouble with electricity is that for consumers it's plug and play.

Until it comes time to pay.

It's not so easy for the NWT Power Corp. (NTPC) It has to manage small, isolated diesel generating plants, buy and ship enormous amounts of diesel, and ensure hydro-generated electricity continues to flow uninterrupted into Yellowknife.

On top of that it must pay a dividend to the government. In turn, the GNWT uses that money to subsidize the cost of powering the NWT. The Crown corporation says it needs a 30 per cent increase in electricity rates to do that, and pay its debt costs.

Yellowknifers have already taken a 17 per cent hit thanks to an interim adjustment. How much it goes up in total will be up to the Public Utilities Board.

It holds hearings on NTPC's rate application in Yellowknife on Nov. 21.

The $5.4 million in extra fuel costs is a no-brainer. The price of diesel has jumped by more than 54 per cent since 1995.

However, board members must question why the cost of operation is up $2.7 million even after division. As guardians of the public purse, board members must ensure the efficiencies are maintained.

It's not good enough to say that government should cut its power subsidy because that would turn off the power to most of the communities around the territory.

What must happen is continued effort to wean our communities off expensive diesel power. Wind generation, exploiting available natural gas reserves and tying more communities into the hydro grid must happen.

We can't go on paying more and more for power.

Editorial Comment
Darrell Greer
Kivalliq News

With all due respect to the families of those lost at sea, one has to wonder about spending $25,000 to $30,000 to locate the sunken Avataq vessel.

We will give credit to CG&T regional director Shawn Maley for trying his best to put a positive spin on the situation. But $30,000 to check out a piece of equipment the industry already knows works full well is yet another blatant waste of money in this region.

We're sure hamlet councils across the Kivalliq still harbour plenty of sympathy for the families involved. Many council members themselves were directly affected when the four brave souls aboard the Avataq lost their lives.

Still, throwing away $30,000 isn't going to do anything to help ease anyone's extended grief. There's probably a number of council members and senior administrative officers across the region gritting their teeth over this exercise.

One has to question this expenditure at a time when many hamlets are looking towards the federal government to help put infrastructure in place to develop industry.

Since nobody beneath him can come up with a better explanation than testing equipment, we must surmise only that Nunavut Transportation Minister Jack Anawak knows why this kind of money is being spent to locate the Avataq.

Surely in a region with the most unforgiving of climates, we can find a better way for Emergency Management to be spending $30,000.

This is especially true in a region so dependent upon the efforts of local search-and-rescue volunteers to find those in trouble every year.

Role model recruit

One doesn't have to listen to Serena Siksik for very long before being impressed by the young recruit's positive attitude.

Siksik has shown courage and conviction in following her dream of a career in the Canadian Armed Forces.

We wish her all the best as she heads off later this month to begin her basic training and take the next step in her chosen path.

We hope more Kivalliq youth will begin to seriously consider a military career as a healthy alternative to our region's high rate of unemployment.

Editorial Comment
Malcolm Gorrill
Inuvik Drum

Frustration could easily be sensed at last weekend's regular council meeting of the Beaufort Delta Education Council.

The topic was teachers, namely how to attract new ones and how to keep those the board has now.

Though the recommendation being discussed was an early recruitment proposal, the issue which generated the most debate was housing, and the lack thereof, within the region.

It's an issue that has popped up before, at previous BDEC meetings and other times. On this occasion it could be sensed that officials are tired of having to raise the issue, as they discussed the high turnover rate -- 50 per cent -- the board had to deal with this year.

Also brought up was the large amount of time eaten up within each community by having to conduct such a large number of interviews just for teachers, never mind the other workers the board hires, such as program support teachers or custodians.

It was stated, quite correctly, that the current situation detracts from the board's mandate, which is to provide quality education for its students.

Having more longer term teachers allows for more continuity within the system, plus it would help free up local district education authority members, who may conduct three or more interviews to fill one position, only after time had been spent finding a batch of potential candidates.

Board officials are correct in saying that not having a sufficient supply of affordable, decent housing puts them at a disadvantage with other boards. And while some teachers do come and stay and put up with housing that's less than ideal -- for which they should be commended -- it's hardly fair or reasonable to expect them to do so, now or in the future.

It's a big problem with no easy solution. Nevertheless, the issue has been raised again. It remains to be seen whether the territorial government, or private industry, answers the call.

Fire Prevention Week a success

Last week was Fire Prevention Week.

It serves a useful purpose by reminding people of the dangers of fire and the benefits of prevention.

Local events went well, including the open house at the fire hall, where hot dogs were gobbled by the hundreds.

Correction

There was a reporting error in the "Council Briefs" (Inuvik Drum, Oct. 4). Ulu Welding is buying 60 Industrial Rd. from the Town of Inuvik. The Drum apologizes for the error.

Editorial Comment
Derek Neary
Deh Cho Drum, Fort Simpson

Every night we witness more incidents of terrorism and anthrax scares on the television screen. We hear about the bombing of Afghanistan and more troops being sent off to fight the war against terrorism.

While the potential for someone we know to be affected by those actions is remote, it's still real. Nevertheless, the whole affair seems rather distant. If we turn off the TV, the problem is out of sight, out of mind -- at least for a while.

The same can't be said when tragedies strike so close to home; when people we know and care about are suddenly taken from us. No, these aren't acts of war or extremists trying to further their cause, these are unfortunate and untimely events -- a plane crash, a helicopter crash, sudden deaths -- that jolt us out of our complacency and make us ponder the fragility of life.

Some people who we might see in the street, stop and talk to, share a laugh with, they're gone. Harder still is to know there are family members who shared so much more and now have to let go. They have to learn to live without someone who was an integral part of their lives.

It's never an easy process, yet we all have to go through it sometime. The best we can do is to offer our support to those who are dealing with overwhelming grief; to let them know that, in many ways, we share their sorrow but together we'll get through these grievous times.

The postponement of the Deh Cho First Nations leadership assembly in Fort Providence was the right thing to do in the face of such a tragedy in Fort Liard. It would have been hard to concentrate on political matters after something so upsetting had occurred.

However, the matters for discussion at the leadership table are far from trivial. One of the topics on the agenda was the Mackenzie Valley pipeline. Remember, the people returning to Fort Liard had just attended an Aboriginal Pipeline Group signing ceremony in Ndilo. It was an important issue for them.

With that said, the about face by the Liidlii Kue First Nation -- to support the APG's memorandum of understanding -- is quite a surprising development. If the Hay River Reserve also decides to sign the MOU, and with Fort Liard already onside, then three of the four largest communities in the Deh Cho would be in support. There's new leadership in Wrigley to consider, so it's hard to say where they will stand.

The Deh Cho First Nations office is supposed to reflect the will of the region. Will the majority of communities back the APG in the future? If so, will the DCFN executive recognize that change in posture?

Grand Chief Michael Nadli has mentioned that there are other companies coming forward with worthy proposals. What about those companies? Have they entered the scene too late?

These questions will all have to be answered in the coming months.