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VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The British Columbia authorities’s new scholar “assessments” in excessive colleges are a lot much less precious and helpful than the earlier exams in measuring scholar and college efficiency, finds a brand new examine revealed at present by the Fraser Institute, an impartial, non-partisan Canadian public coverage think-tank.
“The brand new evaluation regime is vastly inferior to the earlier provincial exams, which the federal government has eradicated for highschool college students within the province,” mentioned Paige MacPherson, affiliate director of training coverage on the Fraser Institute and writer of The Finish of Accountability in British Columbia Excessive College Scholar Efficiency.
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The modifications happened in levels starting in 2015 when the B.C. authorities changed the province’s grades 10 and 12 provincial highschool exams—which affected remaining grades and have been primarily based on the right track content material—with scholar “assessments” in numeracy and literacy. By deemphasizing content material data, the brand new assessments are vaguer with respect to measuring scholar development and data.
And whereas the earlier exams contributed to college students’ remaining grades—in different phrases, they have been significant to college students and their college careers—the brand new assessments don’t have an effect on a scholar’s grades.
“The absence of any actual penalties for scholar grades or commencement calls into query the usefulness and veracity of the brand new assessments,” MacPherson mentioned.
And though the assessments are technically “obligatory” for commencement, fewer college students now full these assessments in comparison with the earlier exams.
For instance, in 2021/22 (the newest yr of accessible knowledge), participation within the Grade 10 numeracy evaluation was 22.3 proportion factors decrease than participation within the Grade 10 math exams in 2015/16. Throughout the identical time interval, it was an analogous story for the Grade 10 literacy evaluation vs. Grade 10 English exams (17.1 proportion factors decrease participation) and the Grade 12 literacy evaluation vs. Grade 12 English exams (14.2 proportion factors decrease participation).
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“Oddly, commencement charges have elevated regardless that participation charges for the assessments—that are imagined to be obligatory—have declined,” MacPherson mentioned.
Because of the questionable high quality of the brand new assessments, the Fraser Institute will not publish the British Columbia Secondary Faculties Report Card, which had been revealed since 1998. And fogeys, educators and policymakers will not have entry to this provincewide goal and comparative measure of highschool efficiency in B.C.
“By degrading scholar testing, the B.C. authorities has performed an amazing disservice to households throughout the province,” MacPherson mentioned.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Paige MacPherson, Affiliate Director, Training Coverage, Fraser Institute
To rearrange media interviews or for extra info, please contact:
Mark Hasiuk, Senior Media Relations Specialist, 604-688-0221 ext. 517,
mark.hasiuk@fraserinstitute.org
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The Fraser Institute is an impartial Canadian public coverage analysis and academic group with places of work in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal and ties to a world community of think-tanks in 87 international locations. Its mission is to enhance the standard of life for Canadians, their households and future generations by finding out, measuring and broadly speaking the results of presidency insurance policies, entrepreneurship and selection on their well-being. To guard the Institute’s independence, it doesn’t settle for grants from governments or contracts for analysis. Go to www.fraserinstitute.org
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