Assessments over exams in B.C.’s changing curriculum
Waking up for school won’t be the only reality facing British Columbia students entering their senior high school years as ongoing curriculum changes aimed at connecting them to real-life decisionmaking are further implemented.
The education ministry says the curriculum overhaul, which was implemented for kindergarten to Grade 9 students in 2016, is designed to allow for more critical thinking, collaboration and communication in applying information learned in the classroom to everyday situations.
Changes starting earlier this year mean students in Grade 10 are no longer required to write a provincial math exam, but must instead complete a numeracy assessment that incorporates knowledge from various subjects.
The ministry provided a sample assessment that included a hypothetical news report about nine British Columbia communities’ “skyrocketing” water use plotted on a graph, along with other information. Students would be required to answer 12 questions, including those based on how a family could save on its weekly water consumption.
Some questions are based on First Nations’ former practice of living in circular homes called pit houses, requiring students to estimate their height, living space and dimensions of the top opening.
The provincial English exam will also be scrapped next year for students in Grade 12. Instead, students will complete a literacy assessment.
Both the numeracy and literacy assessments will replace provincial exams that were introduced in B.C. in 1984 at the Grade 12 level.
“Many provinces are moving in the direction of competency-based curricula, with B.C. one of the leaders in this area,” the education ministry said in a statement.
Results from the assessments will not be blended with classroom marks because they are not tied to a particular course, the ministry said, adding results will be tied to a fourpoint proficiency scale that will be recorded on students’ transcripts.
Education Minister Rob Fleming said modernizing the programs will help ensure students are armed with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed whether they move on to university or trades training.