Reinstating Provincial Exams: Balancing Assessment, Access, and Equity

 Charles Ungerleider, Professor Emeritus, The University of British Columbia

[permission to reproduce granted if authorship is acknowledged]  

Since posting my blog about four actions to improve student outcomes in British Columbia, I have received email from readers. This blog was prompted by a reader who expresses a thoughtful concern:

My worry about reinstating provincial exams is the fear of them becoming high-stakes tests, subsequently used by universities for admission, and the potential relapse of teaching to the test (versus the focus on learning). And then… are we reopening the inequity landscape and inadvertently potentially minimizing access to post-secondary for some students?

The writer’s concern speaks to the tension in education between rigorous standards and access to learning opportunities. Developed more fully in this blog, my response to the reader made the following points.

A well-crafted provincial exam assesses knowledge and skills that the education system deems essential. Such an assessment should evaluate critical thinking, application of knowledge, and foundational skills. “Teaching to” such an assessment aligns with the overarching goal of education: to prepare students for meaningful participation in society. If the test focuses on these priorities, it would be reasonable—and desirable—for educators to align their instruction with these outcomes.

The fear that teaching to the test undermines learning often arises when assessments are poorly designed, emphasizing narrow or superficial content. However, when the exam reflects a deep understanding of what students should learn, teaching to the test becomes synonymous with high-quality instruction. In this context, a provincial exam can act as a benchmark for educational consistency, ensuring that students across BC acquire comparable competencies.

The role of provincial exams in college or university admissions should not be to create barriers but to provide useful information about a student’s preparedness for post-secondary education (PSE). Currently, many public post-secondary institutions in BC—outside the five research-intensive universities—offer developmental programs designed to support students who may not meet entry requirements. These programs exemplify a commitment to accessibility, ensuring that PSE remains attainable for a variety of learners.

Rather than viewing such exams as punitive, they should be seen as tools that illuminate pathways for improvement and growth. This perspective encourages a shift from fear of inequity to a recognition of opportunity.

The steady decline in literacy and numeracy skills among BC students, coupled with rising graduation rates, raises questions about the consistency and rigor of the education system. A high school diploma, such as the Dogwood, carries societal weight as a symbol of achievement and readiness for life beyond secondary school.[1] If standards erode, the value of the diploma diminishes, affecting students’ futures and undermining confidence in the system.

Provincial exams act as an anchor for educational standards. They provide a clear, external measure of whether students meet expected outcomes, helping to maintain the credibility of the Dogwood. Without such assessments, the system risks prioritizing graduation rates over genuine learning, leaving students ill-prepared for the challenges of higher education and the workforce.

With careful design, provincial assessments can align with meaningful learning goals, serve as diagnostic tools for further student development, and uphold educational standards. The challenge lies in ensuring that exams promote equity and support rather than exclusion and stress. By framing assessments as instruments of learning and opportunity, BC can strike a balance that benefits students, educators, and society at large.

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[1] The B.C. Certificate of Graduation or "Dogwood Diploma" is awarded to students who successfully complete the provincial graduation requirements.

Why Addressing Literacy in British Columbia Matters in a Global Decline

 Charles Ungerleider, Professor Emeritus, The University of British Columbia

[permission to reproduce granted if authorship is acknowledged]  

I received several supportive emails about my last blog, in which I said that the appointment of a new Minister of Education provides the opportunity to pursue four initiatives that would substantially improve educational outcomes. One reader wrote, “You have argued that British Columbia should address the decline in literacy (and numeracy) but the declines in BC are simply a local example of a world-wide trend. Why is it so important for the educational systems in BC and elsewhere to address literacy?"  

The decline in literacy and numeracy is indeed a global phenomenon and a global concern, but that does not diminish the urgency for British Columbia to act. Educational outcomes are directly tied to a region’s economic health, social cohesion, and democratic vitality. While global trends provide context, local action determines how well communities adapt to and mitigate these challenges.  

In BC, literacy affects preparedness for employment and access to high-paying employment. Employers frequently reference the skills gap among workers, a gap that weakens BC’s economic competitiveness. In countries in which literacy is unaddressed or poorly addressed, deficient literacy contributes to poverty and limits social mobility, exacerbating inequalities. Literacy is crucial for social justice—necessary, but not sufficient.  

Low literacy levels impair civic participation. In BC and other democratic societies, individuals who possess stronger literacy skills are better equipped to analyze political discourse, make informed voting decisions, and engage in community initiatives. Declines in literacy lead to disengagement and weaken democratic processes.  

Ultimately, literacy is a foundational skill that supports other learning and opportunities. Failing to address its decline would compromise BC’s ability to support individual success and the province’s broader aspirations for a thriving, equitable society. This makes local action indispensable, even in the face of global trends.

A Mandate for Change: Four Actions to Strengthen B.C.’s Education System

 Charles Ungerleider, Professor Emeritus, The University of British Columbia

[permission to reproduce granted if authorship is acknowledged]  

As B.C. welcomes a new Minister of Education, a crucial opportunity lies ahead to address pressing issues in student outcomes and ensure that our education system meets the high standards B.C. families expect. The following actions could guide meaningful improvements, fostering a more effective and transparent system that better prepares students for the future.  

Address the Decline in Literacy and Numeracy

B.C.’s steady declines in reading and math scores on both PISA and provincial assessments reveal a significant gap in core skills needed for full participation in society. Literacy and numeracy are fundamental, underpinning students’ ability to learn, work, and thrive in the modern world. Reversing this trend requires a comprehensive review of current practices and resources to ensure these skills are emphasized and supported across all levels of education. By prioritizing these foundational competencies, we can help students achieve mastery and strengthen overall educational quality.  

Restore Examinations in Grades 11 and 12

The recent reduction in provincial exams means we have fewer tools to monitor students’ progress over time and assess educational equity. Examinations are vital benchmarks to evaluate individual achievement and identify disparities across demographic groups. Reinstating exams for Grades 11 and 12 would provide clearer insights into how students are adapting to curriculum changes and would support accountability for outcomes. With exams, we gain data crucial for understanding whether all students are being served effectively and fairly within the education system.  

Require Currency of Professional Knowledge for Teaching Licensure

Maintaining public confidence in education requires that teachers stay current with best practices in their fields. This means implementing requirements for ongoing professional development and specialized certifications, particularly in elementary literacy and numeracy, and subject-specific designations for secondary teachers. By aligning teaching with other regulated professions that require practitioners to remain up to date, we ensure that students benefit from specialized, informed instruction that reflects the latest educational research and techniques.  

Supplement Proficiency Scales with Letter Grades

While proficiency scales offer detailed feedback on specific learning areas, they may lack the universal clarity that letter grades provide. Parents and students often value letter grades for their simplicity and directness, recognizing them as clear indicators of performance. A balanced approach that incorporates both letter grades and proficiency scales would give a fuller picture of student achievement, helping all stakeholders understand where students excel and where they need more support. This hybrid system combines the strengths of traditional and modern assessment methods.

 A Vision for Educational Excellence

By prioritizing foundational skills, reintroducing exams, ensuring teachers’ professional knowledge remains current, and refining our assessment methods, we can build an educational environment that better equips students for the challenges of tomorrow. It is time for a new Minister of Education to set B.C. on a path toward meaningful, lasting improvement in education.

Effective Feedback and Artificial Intelligence

 Charles Ungerleider, Professor Emeritus, The University of British Columbia

[permission to reproduce granted if authorship is acknowledged]  

Effective feedback supports academic achievement and personal development by helping students to improve. When it is expressed clearly, feedback explains what students are doing well and where they need to focus their efforts. When expressed constructively, feedback encourages students to reflect on their work, understand their mistakes, and learn from them.  

Teachers face several obstacles in providing effective feedback. Time constraints are a major issue; providing detailed feedback for numerous students can be overwhelming. Providing feedback to large classes is daunting. It is challenging to provide nuanced feedback aligned with the strengths and weaknesses of each student. These obstacles often reduce the frequency and quality of feedback that teachers provide to students.  

A recent study suggests that generative-AI holds promise for providing formative feedback to students.[1] The study compared the quality of formative feedback provided by human evaluators and generative AI, in this case ChatGPT 3.5 (an earlier, public version of ChatGPT). ​ The human evaluators were provided with a 3-hour training session that addressed evaluation criteria, actionable areas for improvement, and effective feedback strategies. They were provided with rubrics and guidelines and had two weeks to provide feedback. On average, the human evaluators spent about 20 minutes per essay.  

There were differences in feedback quality between humans and AI. The well-trained human evaluators generally provided higher quality feedback in most categories, such as clarity of directions for improvement, accuracy, prioritization of essential features, and use of a supportive tone. ​ Although the differences between human and AI feedback were statistically significant, they were relatively small.  

One of the implications of the study was that generative AI can provide useful feedback to students, which can be especially beneficial in large classes where it may be challenging for teachers to provide individualized feedback to each student. Moreover, generative AI can provide feedback immediately and iteratively, allowing students to receive feedback in a timely manner. ​ This is important because timely feedback has been shown to be more effective in promoting learning and improvement.  

Generative AI is low-cost and accessible which makes it a more feasible option for providing formative feedback compared to traditional methods that require extensive training and calibration. ​ This accessibility can potentially increase the availability of feedback to students, especially in contexts where well-prepared educators may be unavailable.  

Generative AI can provide feedback that is aligned with the needs of individual students. ​ With proper preparation and analysis that includes examples of students’ writing and comparison to exemplars and performance standards, generative AI can provide specific steps for improvement that are tailored to the student's writing performance. ​ enerative AI can be particularly useful in providing formative feedback on early drafts of student writing. ​ This can help students identify areas for improvement and make revisions before submitting their final work. ​Generative AI can also provide consistent feedback across different students and essays, ensuring that all students receive the same level of feedback and guidance. ​ This can help maintain fairness and equity in the feedback process.  

The fact that this study used ChatGPT 3.5 suggests that the findings regarding AI feedback quality may not fully reflect the capabilities of the most recent versions of ChatGPT or other generative AI models. ​ Since the study, there have been significant improvements in AI technology, including advancements in the processing of everyday speech and model training. ​ These improvements may have resulted in even-better AI-generated feedback, potentially narrowing the gap between human and AI feedback quality. ​

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[1] Steiss, J., Tate, T., Graham, S., Cruz, J., Hebert, M., Wang, J., Moon, Y., Tseng, W., Warschauer, M., and C. B. Olson, (June 2024) Comparing the quality of human and ChatGPT feedback of students’ writing, Learning and Instruction, 91, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2024.101894 .