Grade 10 And 12 Provincial Assessments: The Whats And Whys

Photo Credit: BC Technology for Learning Society

This January, the province’s Graduation Assessments were completed by Grade 10 and 12 Hamber students.

Before the introduction of the first provincial assessment, implemented between 2018 and 2021, the Ministry of Education required students to complete five provincial exams as part of the BC Curriculum. Language Arts, Science, and Mathematics exams were mandated for students in Grade 10, Social Studies in Grade 11, and Language Arts again in Grade 12. 

However, as part of efforts to update the curriculum in 2016, the Ministry of Education scrapped the exams. The province announced multiple changes, including replacing these exams with the three new Provincial Graduation Assessments, introducing Career Life Connections 12 as a graduation requirement, and a “concept-based, competency-driven” approach to learning, aimed at fostering student engagement. 

Former BC Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) President Jim Iker, stated BC teachers and the federation were generally supportive of the changes. “For some time now, the BCTF has recommended the elimination of provincial exams, so this is a welcome move by the government. For many students, provincial exams created significant barriers and took time away from actual learning,” he said, according to CityNews Vancouver.

The Graduation Assessments consist of a Numeracy Assessment for Grade 10 students, evaluating skills in mathematics, along with two Literacy Assessments for Grade 10 and 12 students respectively, which measured students’ English proficiency. According to the Ministry of Education, these assessments are meant to be “rigorous and based on learning standards to evaluate student achievement, core learning competencies, and literacy and numeracy skills.” 

While Grade 10 Numeracy Assessment and Grade 12 Literacy Assessment are evaluated using the 4-point proficiency scale and appear on a student’s transcript with the score, the Grade 10 Literacy Assessment will appear on transcripts with “requirement met”, or “RM,” after completion. While the appearance on student’s transcripts may seem daunting, they do not affect marks in the related academic course.

With previous Provincial Exams, post-secondary institutions considered the exam scores of applicants. However, this is no longer the case with the assessments, as institutions now focus on students’ grades. In a 2014 report from the Advisory Group on Provincial Assessment, members agreed that the primary purpose of a provincial assessment program should be to “determine educational priorities and needs and to subsequently allocate resources to meet those priorities,” complimenting the Ministry's intentions for the assessments and “[leading] to system improvement.”

“I wasn’t quite nervous because I knew that it wouldn’t affect my college or university applications because I knew it wasn’t an exam,” said Ethan Sham (12), when asked about his experience with the Grade 12 Literacy Assessment. “I didn’t feel anything quite special about it [...] maybe a little bit relieved because I’ve done it and this is my last step to graduation.” Sham also compared it to the Grade 10 Literacy Assessments, noting the similar format, despite the increased difficulty of reading passages.

His advice to students taking these assessments in the future is to review the examples that the Ministry of Education displays on its website. “For me, I actually went on there for a bit and just looked at it like once or twice, and that’s how I prepared for it,” he added.

Jake Jang (12), shared similar sentiments, advising students preparing for the assessments to not stress over them. “It just checks your general knowledge, but it’s not like a test where you can tell if someone really excels at something. I mean for its purpose, I think it’s necessary and it doesn’t really impact your life too much. Even if you do bad, it’s just a graduation requirement.”