Provincial examinations
Provincial examinations are province-wide examinations, held in April, May, June, August, November and January (in BC), for students between the grades of 9 to 12 (for BC), most commonly known in the province of British Columbia, but also taken in other provinces in Canada. Most students write these exams in January and June, based on the two semester system in British Columbia. A variety of practice resources are available for students, through both official and non-official outlets. Other provincial tests include the Alberta diploma exams, taken in every academic course in grade 12 and required for graduation as well as admission into Alberta universities, the Ontario EQAO tests that are administered in grade 6 for numeracy and grade 9 for literacy. The EQAO test is also required for graduation and this is the reason it begins in grade 9, so students have 4 years to pass it if they do not do well the first time. Manitoba also has provincial exams, as does New Brunswick, PEI, Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. Saskatchewan has provincial examinations for students of teachers not practising accreditation (the ability to give their own final examination).
Overview
While the exams were initially exclusive to subjects at the grade 12 level, reforms in the education system in 2004 introduced a series of mandatory provincial examinations at the grade 10 level and one at the grade 11 level (Social Studies 11). In total there are 5 mandatory provincial exams; 1 in grade 12, 1 in grade 11 and 3 in grade 10.
In grade 10 and 11, the provincial exams are worth 20% of a student's final mark, whereas the grade 12 exam is worth 40% of a student's final mark. In Alberta the diploma exams are counted towards 50% of the student's final mark for the course in grade 12. However, beginning in 2015, this is going to be reduced to 30%. In Ontario passing the EQAO test is simply required for graduation. 50% is a pass
In BC, at the grade 12 level, only a Language Arts12 provincial exam is mandatory for secondary school completion and acquiring the Dogwood Diploma. The reforms in 2004 additionally specified a student must also successfully complete the provincial exams at the grade 10 and 11 level to obtain the Dogwood Diploma.
Provincial exams (excluding the mandatory English 12 exam) are no longer required by most universities when grade 12 marks are considered assessing a student's acceptance average. However, different universities have different policies regarding the marks one receives from provincial exams; for example, some universities will only take into account one's provincial exam mark if it improves their grade, while other universities mandate that provincial exam marks will be blended with class marks in consideration, should a student choose to take the provincial exam. As of the 2011/2012 school year, optional provincial exams are no longer available.[1]
Provincial exams are also useful for students trying to improve their grade 12 marks, or apply for scholarships.
Social implications
Beginning in September 2009, the University of British Columbia no longer requires provincial exams for admission, except the ones required for the Dogwood Diploma. Many universities in Canada do not require provincial exam marks but do require high school graduation, which provincial exams are linked to. Some universities, especially in BC, are especially interested in the English exam mark, especially for those students who are transferring from a BC offshore school where English is their second language.