Provincial Assessments
Provincial Assessments
Provincial Assessment Information
In response to the introduction of the new curriculum, significant modifications have been made to the graduation assessments to ensure they reflect the contemporary educational framework. Students enrolled in the British Columbia (B.C.) Graduation Program will now be required to successfully complete three provincial assessments designed to measure and showcase their competencies in literacy and numeracy. These assessments are an integral component of the revamped graduation criteria and include:
Purpose and Nature of Provincial Assessments:
The provincial assessments have been updated to align with the new curriculum, offering an insightful glimpse into students’ abilities in pivotal subject areas. They serve as tools to gauge student learning and performance effectively. By analyzing data collected over time, these assessments provide valuable feedback on the education system’s evolving outcomes in British Columbia.
Maintaining High Standards:
Despite these changes, B.C.’s provincial assessments will continue to uphold a high standard of academic rigor. They are firmly grounded in established learning criteria and are designed to evaluate students’ overall achievement. Additionally, they aim to assess students’ mastery of Core Competencies, and their literacy and numeracy skills, ensuring that learners are well-prepared for their future academic and career endeavors.
Grade 10 Numeracy Assessment
On This Page:
- Overview of the Assessment
- Understanding Numeracy in Grade 10
- Strategies for Pre-assessment Preparation
- Supplementary Materials
Overview of the Assessment
The Provincial Grade 10 Numeracy Assessment is a pivotal milestone that gauges students’ proficiency in numerical understanding. As a prerequisite for high school graduation, this assessment is administered during the students’ grade 10 year.
Emphasizing the practical application of mathematical principles accumulated from kindergarten through Grade 10, the evaluation challenges students to confront problems using a quintet of numerical processes: interpreting, applying, solving, analyzing, and communicating.
These critical numeracy concepts are thoroughly explored within pre-assessment preparation materials and detailed in the framework documentation.
Access the Parental Guide here (PDF link).
Understanding Numeracy in Grade 10
Structured as a digital examination, the Grade 10 Numeracy Assessment comprises three distinct segments:
Core section:
- Participants respond to 24 items, drawing on four unique tasks (scenarios) conducted online, which focus on applying numeracy in realistic contexts
- Questions are scored by a computer.
Elective section:
- Offering a choice, students select two from four distinctive prompts and develop written responses on paper. These tasks align with scenarios initially encountered within the core section. Here, learners are expected to exhibit comprehensive problem resolutions employing all numeracy operations while substantiating their rationale with thorough explanations and presumptions.
- Responses are assessed by British Columbia educators using an established scoring guide (PDF link).
Reflective section:
- Post-assessment, students partake in introspective prompts to deliberate on their assessment journey, underscoring the importance of metacognition in their academic growth.
- Reflective insights are not rated but form an essential component of the evaluative experience.
Grade 10 Literacy Assessment
On this page:
- About the Assessment
- What the Grade 10 Literacy Assessment Looks Like
- Additional Resources
About the Grade 10 Literacy Assessment:
The Grade 10 Literacy Assessment, starting in the 2023/24 school year, has undergone a design and format change in Part B. Students no longer choose a path at the beginning of Part B, but instead select a writing pathway at the end of Part B. This new assessment design aims to evaluate student proficiency in literacy and critical thinking skills to meet graduation requirements, offering students a more integrated and comprehensive assessment experience.
What the Grade 10 Literacy Assessment Looks Like:
The Grade 10 Literacy Assessment is delivered online in three parts:
Part A
- Students are introduced to a Big Idea for the whole assessment. Each part has its own main idea that is related to the Big Idea. In Part A, students read a variety of texts such as newspaper or magazine articles, blogs, infographics, social media feeds, and stories that are related to the main idea. Students demonstrate that they can analyze and make meaning from the texts by answering a series of selected-response questions. They then provide a written response to communicate their understanding of the main idea in the texts
Part B:
- Students are given a new set of texts related to another main idea which provides a framework for students to apply their literacy skills. Students demonstrate that they can analyze and make meaning of the texts by answering selected-response questions. At the end of the select-response questions in Part B, students choose one of two writing pathways that stem from the main idea. Students communicate their personal interpretation and insights in an extended written response.
Self-Reflection
- These questions ask students to reflect on their experience with the assessment. This component is not marked.
Sample Assessments and Resources:
For a better understanding of the Grade 10 Literacy Assessment, students can access online samples and printable materials, along with scoring guides and specifications documents. Samples A and B provide examples of the assessment format and key rubrics for students to practice and prepare for the assessment.
- Online Sample–Grade 10 Literacy Assessment
- Grade 10 Literacy Assessment: Sample A (PDF)
- Grade 10 Literacy Assessment: Sample A Key, Rubrics and Scoring Guide (PDF)
- Grade 10 Literacy Assessment: Sample B (PDF)
- Grade 10 Literacy Assessment: Sample B Key, Rubrics and Scoring Guide (PDF)
Additional Resources:
Grade 12 Literacy Assessment
On this page:
- About the assessment
- What the Grade 12 Literacy Assessment looks like
- Pre-assessment activities
- Additional resources
Overview of the Literacy Assessment
The Grade 12 Literacy Evaluation is a comprehensive provincial assessment designed to evaluate students’ literacy abilities at the culmination of their secondary education. As a requisite for graduation, this evaluation is integrated into the Grade 12 curriculum.
This assessment gauges students’ competencies in applying critical thinking, reflection, and analytical skills to interpret a wide range of texts. Moreover, it measures students’ capability to articulate their comprehension and the ideas presented in these texts, both critically and creatively.
The scope of this evaluation transcends specific subjects, encapsulating the breadth of learning experiences from kindergarten through to Grade 12.
Structure and Components of the Grade 12 Literacy Assessment
Administered online, the evaluation is structured in three distinct segments:
Part A
- Critical Analysis of Texts Here, students are tasked with dissecting and deriving meaning from various texts through selected-response questions. A “Critical Thinking Context” presents students with a broad societal or global issue, providing a perspective to approach the material. This context aids students in devising structured written responses, including a graphic organizer and a comprehensive multi-paragraph answer.
Part B
- Expanding Insights Beyond Texts In this segment, students continue to interpret texts using chosen-response questions. An “Essential Question,” centered around a distinct societal or global issue separate from Part A, challenges students to apply literacy skills within a new frame of reference. After these questions, learners opt between two writing prompts linked to the Essential Question, culminating in an in-depth written exposition to communicate their individual interpretations and insights.
Self-Assessment Reflection
- An introspective series of questions enable students to ponder their interaction with the evaluation process. Although this self-reflection is not graded, it plays a vital role in the learning journey and is strongly recommended.
Pre-Evaluation Preparation Instructional Video Series
To acquaint students with the evaluation’s format and expected types of responses, an educational video series is available, which should be viewed prior to attempting the assessment.
Grade 12 Literacy Assessment – Introduction
Grade 12 Literacy Assessment – Question Types
Grade 12 Literacy Assessment – Part A
Grade 12 Literacy Assessment – Part B
Online Practice
Practice Using the Grade 12 Literacy Evaluation Sample Engaging with online and printable practice samples, along with reviewing associated materials, will deepen understanding of the Grade 12 Literacy Evaluation:
Sample A (Printable)
- Grade 12 Literacy Assessment: Sample A (PDF, 14.4MB)
- Selected-Response Answer Key: Sample A (PDF, 175KB)
- Student Exemplars for Written Response: Sample A (PDF, 600KB)
Sample B (Printable)
- Grade 12 Literacy Assessment: Sample B (PDF, 27.7 MB)
- Selected Response Answer Key: Sample B (PDF 2MB)
- Student Exemplars for Written Response: Sample B (PDF, 6MB)
Written response supporting materials are available in two different formats: a compiled document, which includes all materials together, or separate documents.
Compilation documents of all Written Response supporting materials:
- Compilation of Supporting Materials – Written Response, Grade 12 Literacy Assessment: Sample A (PDF, 3.7MB)
- Compilation of Supporting Materials – Written Response, Grade 12 Literacy Assessment: Sample B (PDF, 3.7MB)
Separate documents of all constructed-response supporting materials:
- Overview of Tasks – Written Response, Grade 12 Literacy Assessment (PDF, 1.5MB)
- Rubrics – Written Response, Grade 12 Literacy Assessment (PDF, 320KB)
Assessment Design Specifications
Learn more about the Grade 12 Literacy Assessment’s design, tasks and connection to the B.C. curriculum by referring to the document below.