Provincial exams cancelled for grade 12 students this January

There should be a little less stress on high school seniors across the province in the new year.

Grade 12 provincial exams for this semester, which would have been administered in January 2021, have been officially cancelled.

The provincial government called for the exams to be cancelled in a letter sent to school divisions Friday.

Education minister Kelvin Goertzen says the cancellation was decided based on concerns due to the mix of in-class and remote learning students have already experienced this year.

In the letter, Goertzen says the blended and uncertain learning environment compromised student's "equal access to instruction."

"While some students have returned to full in-class learning scenarios, many have not. The implementation of a provincial test in this context raises questions around the fairness to students and the validity of the data if the tests were to proceed," says Goertzen.

The cancellation will affect four provincial examinations, collectively known as the Provincial Standards Tests. Students will not be writing examinations for English language arts, essential mathematics, applied mathematics, or pre-calculous mathematics.

Provincial exams were also cancelled in spring 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on student learning.

Provincial assessments for Manitoba students in grades three, seven and eight were also cancelled before the beginning of the fall semester.