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Should we get rid of high school ministry exams?

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Should we get rid of high school ministry exams?

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Many Quebec high school students, particularly those who've just completed Secondary IV and V, are just now finding out their marks in courses where there is a ministry exam.

These standardized high school exams, which weigh heavily in students' final marks, are a nightmare for students and a nuisance for teachers and principals. They must be a headache for Ministry of Education administrators, too.

There are three main problematic areas: substance, slip-ups and security.

Exam substance: There is often poor coordination between what the teacher teaches and what the ministry tests.

Exam slip-ups: Often questions on exams are eliminated because "the question is unclear" or "two of the multiple choice answers are correct!"

Exam security: Recently we have had exams and answer keys appearing on social media before the examination time.

Exams are developed by the Ministry of Education, delivered to schools and completed by students. They are then corrected, and marks are posted on the ministry's website. It seems like a long, complicated process for assessments that rarely test a student's true ability or potential.

And the cost! To produce three different exams every year, for multiple subjects, to deliver them to each school, and then to manage the grading and the recording of marks, must squeeze an already tight budget. If we could reallocate the funds to individual classrooms, we might have a chance of meeting Minister of Education Sébastien Proulx's target of an 85 per cent graduation rate by 2030.

We can. What is required is a little more faith in our schools, our principals and our teachers. If schools developed their own final exams, they would be able to test their students using the vocabulary they have used to teach the material. If schools managed their own exams, errors would be caught and corrected in-house. If schools controlled their own exams, security would be greatly improved. There would be no delivery costs and no excessive printing. Finally, teachers would correct the exams and results would be published without delay.

If we must have exams and we are serious about improving the graduation rate, then we should be repositioning the exams. Failed exit exams are a major cause of student drop out. These exams should be replaced with entrance exams. Too many students are entering their next level of education without the required skills. Junior and senior high school entrance exams would determine whether a student has the literacy skills to receive and respond to material that will be taught. If a student is not ready, then it is at the entry point that the school system must react. It is unconscionable to shuffle failing students through the system until they drop out.

After high school, CEGEPs should also have entrance exams - managed by the CEGEPs. By the way, there are no standardized final exams for CEGEP students, other than the English- or French-language exit exams, and yet graduates from our CEGEPs are able to gain entrance to universities around the world.

There may be concerns that allowing schools to manage their own exams opens up the possibility of grade inflation or cheating. But either a teacher has integrity or he doesn't; cheating would be possible now. Teachers tend to be a lot more vigilant with their own test material than they are with the exams that are foisted upon them.

Once students leave school, they discover that there are very few written exams. Most problems are solved through research and dialogue. Ultimately, we need to wean ourselves off exams. There are a number of alternative methods to verify a student's understanding of classroom learning, including portfolios, presentations, projects, re-enactments and research papers. Giving schools more autonomy will ultimately improve the overall content and delivery of courses, increase the success rate, better reflect the reality beyond school and greatly reduce costs for the Ministry of Education.
James Watts is principal EdPlus High School in St-Laurent.

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Opinion: Quebec should get rid of high school ministry exams

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Many Quebec high school students, particularly those who've just completed Secondary IV and V, are just now finding out their marks in courses where there is a ministry exam. These standardized high school exams, which weigh heavily in students' final marks, are a nightmare for students and a nuisance for teachers and principals.

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Fatlum, Gabrielle, Paula (Languages Analytical Rubric)

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Fatlum, Gabrielle, Paula (Languages Analytical Rubric)

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Katie, Alana & Vanessa (ESL)
Holistic rubric:

ASSESSMENT: check the applicable box for the following:
Flow/Sentence Structure/Grammar/Clarity
:D
:(
:/
:(

/20

:D = Excellent. The flow is cohesive, student uses complete sentences all the time, no grammar mistakes and clarity is excellent.

:) = Good. The students makes few grammar mistakes, the flow of the text is average, almost always uses complete sentences, clarity is well done.

:/ = Satisfactory. Has a comprehensive response but lacks complete sentences, clarity, flow, and includes many grammar mistakes.

:( = Insufficient The text does not have a concise flow, there are many grammar mistakes, the text is unclear and has no complete sentences.

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American tries to figure out what Canadian road signs mean, and fails

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American tries to figure out what Canadian road signs mean, and fails

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https://www.cbc.ca/news/trending/american-tries-to-figure-out-what-canadian-road-signs-mean-and-fails-1.3137763

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https://www.peardeck.com/

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Lesson: Short story and response

Chart of Learning Outcomes:

1- Students will be able to read and comprehend the text

2- Students will be able to construct an opinion

3- Students will be able to relate this text to personal, other media or world issues.

4- Students will be able to produce a written text

Appropriate assessment method

Assessment of reading skills

Comprehension of text and a deeper understanding

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Knowledge:

The students will present their knowledge of movements based on the sheets and information they were provided

Skills:

Develop the students ability to remember their desired sequences

Develop the students ability to properly perform a movement

Develop communication skills

·       Informing partners whether they are correctly performing an movement in respectful manner

Meaning:

·       The exploration of movement will allow students to feel more comfortable performing in front of others. In drama, it is necessary to be able to move, sometimes in a silly manner, in front of multiple people. This activity will help get them more comfortable moving in front of their peers

·       The students must also recognise the cues of when to change their movements. Understanding cues of when and when not to act is a skill which can be used in multiple other situations

o   When is it appropriate to interrupt someone when they are speaking

o   What is the appropriate attitude at different events

Birthday party vs. a funeral

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Lesson on the Great Peace of Montreal. There was both formative and summative assessment throughout the lesson. The formative was through Pear Deck Quizzes to monitor their progress. The summative was done through a project.

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Russell Stannard (Teacher Training Videos)

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Advanced Google Forms-Complete Guide and Application in Teaching

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While the basis of the lesson is great, being a secondary teacher I would make some adjustements in order for it to better fit my grade of choice.

Outcomes would be:
-Be able to define a fairytale
-Identify the elements and characters found in a fairytale
-Using your prior knowledge, create a outline of your own fairytale

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Objectives & Outcomes

Students will be able to identify the magical and impossible elements found in fairy tales.

Materials Needed

pencils

colored pencils

construction paper

butcher paper

markers

"The Three Little Pigs"

Procedure

Opening to Lesson

Connect to prior knowledge by reviewing real and make-believe characters

Show students ten pictures of different characters from stories we have read in the class. We will play a quick game of "Real or Make-Believe"

Body of Lesson

Guided Practice

Make a KWL chart about fairy tales.

Introduce the main elements of a fairy tale (fantasy story, has magic or spells, animals act like humans, once upon a time, good guys vs. bad guys, princes, princesses).

Read the entire story, "The Three Little Pigs".

To check for understanding, use name cards to randomly call on students to provide characteristics from fairy tale stories.

Is this story a fairy tale? Why? Students will give reasons to support.

Dictate comments onto a chart on the board. This will be a great way to model language and check for understanding.

Independent Practice

Strategically pair up students (varied skill levels).

Students will be asked to draw a picture of a part of the story that is related to being a fairy tale.

Advanced students could extend by writing words to describe their drawing.

Monitor comprehension by observing the conversations and drawings. Provide immediate feedback through teacher modeling.

Closing

Students can share their findings with the class.

This will give an opportunity for students to teach their peers. Students will be invited to "pick" the presenter's brain by asking questions.

Assessment & Evaluation

The activity in the "Closure" section can be used as a performance assessment. Students will be assessed on their ability to convey why they drew what they did to represent a scene from the fairy tale. This provides EL students an opportunity to convey their understanding through drawings, gestures, sounds, and physical movement.

Modification & Differentiation

Use gestures, body language, and shorter sentences to make the lesson more comprehensible for students.

Speak slowly, enunciate, use gestures, touch clothing items when applicable, and make references to photos to accompany speech.

Sentence frames can be provided for English Learners.

Related Lesson Plans

This lesson will allow students to practice both writing names and identifying beginning sounds for common item names.

This lesson is designed to teach students understand the importance of being a good friend through literature and art activities.

This is a quick activity to allow students to work cooperatively while increasing awareness of vocabulary for a given lesson.

This lesson is designed to help students understand "describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges." -CCSS

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Students will be able to identify the magical and impossible elements found in fairy tales. pencils colored pencils construction paper butcher paper markers "The Three Little Pigs" Connect to prior knowledge by reviewing real and make-believe characters Show students ten pictures of different characters from stories we have read in the class.

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Welcome to LEARN, your comprehensive portal for educational resources, tutoring, and professional support. Catering to students, educators, and the community, we bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world application. Dive into a wealth of knowledge tailored to Quebec's educational landscape.

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Ministère de l'Éducation et de l'Enseignement supérieur

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L'école doit aider l'ensemble des jeunes à développer les habiletés qui leur permettront d'être des individus cultivés, des citoyens engagés, des travailleurs compétents, et ce, tout en continuant de leur donner accès aux savoirs des générations précédentes.