Minister releases June 2001 high school exam results

Education Minister Judy Foote released today the 2000-2001 final achievement results for senior high school students.

"I am pleased to announce that 26,342 high school students completed 198,984 course evaluations this year, achieving an overall pass rate of 89 per cent. In this year�s graduating class, over 27 per cent of the students graduated with honours. In the six public exams that the students completed, 84 per cent of them passed the course," said Minister Foote.

"The pass rates for the public exam courses are lower than those of last year, when the entire mark was based on school performance. However, the June 2001 figures are on par with the results from 1995, the last year in which public exams were written," added the minister. "Historically, public exam results are lower than school marks. Public exams are comprehensive and are based on all outcomes in the course that a student studies from September to June whereas the marks that are awarded by the schools are based on tests as well as group projects, homework, labs and assignments."

In response to recommendations of the Ministerial Panel on Educational Delivery in the Classroom and feedback from post-secondary institutions, the decision was made to phase in a series of public examinations over a two-year-period. This year, six of 10 public exams in core subject areas were administered.

"The ministerial panel recommended the return of public exams because their research showed that there existed differences in grading practices among teachers and schools that had an influence on final grades, a school-based certification system was not a consistent measure of students� performance throughout the province and that there was a gap between the proficiency of graduating high school students and expectations at the post-secondary level," said the minister.

Public examinations were administered in Chemistry 3202, Biology 3201, Physics 3204, Thematic Literature 3201, Math 3200 and Advanced Math 3201. Ninety per cent of students who wrote the chemistry exam passed the course while percentage pass rates for the other subjects were 85 per cent in biology, 83 per cent in physics, 77 per cent in literature, 73 per cent in core math and 95 per cent in advanced math.

Public examinations were developed by working groups of classroom teachers who reviewed the outcomes of each course, determined the specifications for the exam, and wrote the questions. Exams were field tested and a sample exam was provided to all schools. When schools closed in June, a panel of teachers marked the exams for each course. Final marks were obtained through a 50-50 blend of the provincial examination mark and the school mark, which measured students� achievement throughout the year.

Official transcripts are being mailed to students on July 20 and summaries of the results are now being forwarded to schools and school districts.

Media contact: Andrea Maunder, Communications, (709) 729-0048.

2001 07 19                                                    12:35 p.m.