Graduation exam weighting to be reduced to 20% this school year, Alberta government says

The Alberta government announced on Monday that it is making a temporary change to diploma exams this year by reducing the test weight to 20%.

In a statement, the government said the decision was made in response to feedback from pupils, parents and education partners on learning loss and wellbeing issues as a result of the pandemic.

“Since June of this year, I have met with over 40 public, separate and francophone school authorities and many other stakeholders and listened to their views,” said Education Minister Adriana LaGrange.

“The change in diploma exam weights will reduce the burden on students while providing them with valuable exam writing experience. We are making this temporary change to place less of a burden on students and improve their mental health.”

The weighting will return to 30% in the 2023-2024 school year.

For the 2021-2022 school year, the government has canceled the January diploma exams and all remaining diploma exams for the year have been weighted at 10%.

A « backwards » decision

In a statement, the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) said the reduction in exam weightings is only a temporary solution to a long-term problem.

The ATA said it welcomed the decision to reduce the weighting of diploma exam scores in 2022-23, but also called it « retrograde ».

« The reduction in diploma exams is a stop-gap measure and, unfortunately, we have seen this decision before, » the statement read.

“To really address missed learning opportunities, the government needs to tackle classroom conditions: smaller classes, more support, extra teachers and teaching assistants, and finally making degrees optional. . »

In the spring of 2020, diploma exams were canceled in April and June as students were learning from home the last months of the school year. They were administered in August of this year.

In 2015, the government reduced the weighting of diploma exams from 50% to 30%.