Provincial secondary school exams scheduled for next week postponed until spring

Provincial assessments scheduled to start Monday for students in grades 10 and 12 have been postponed due to staffing shortages, according to the Ministry of Education. 

"Over the past few months, the administration of grade 10 to 12 provincial assessments has been impacted significantly by workforce capacity issues related to COVID-19," the ministry said in a statement. 

The numeracy and literacy exams, which were scheduled throughout next week, will be postponed until April and June. 

However, the province is cancelling assessments for Grade 12 students who are graduating early this school year. 

According to the ministry, there are about 150 students who plan on graduating early, meaning after the current semester they would meet the requirements for graduation and would only need their final assessments for their diploma. 

Post-secondary admissions for Grade 12 students will not be impacted, the ministry says.

"No Grade 12 students who are on track to graduate in the 2021-2022 school year will be negatively impacted by this cancellation."

 Abbotsford Senior Secondary School student Mia Gill, who is in Grade 12, describes the decision as, "a huge relief but also mad annoying."

"It feels like we had obstacle after obstacle. And now to cancel this is frustrating because we are just trying to hold on to what we know is still happening."

She says the announcement was a surprise and is frustrating for students who have worked hard to prepare for the January exams, keeping university applications in mind. 

"There's a really big sort of hype surrounding taking the provincial exams, and a lot of people consider it as a really big deal."

However, Gill said she is relieved because she can focus on other pressing coursework. 

While pandemic challenges are understandable, the timing is problematic, says Nicole Jarvis, a teacher at École Salish Secondary School in Surrey. 

"It's exasperating more than anything else," she said.