Communicating Student Learning

To support students as they gain skills and knowledge for the future, the remaining school districts will update their kindergarten through Grade 9 student progress reporting to align with curriculum modernization that started in 2016.

“Since 2016, school districts representing approximately half of B.C. students have tested and adopted new reporting on student progress to make sure we are evaluating the skills that students need for the future,” said Rachna Singh, Minister of Education and Child Care. “Report cards will continue to update parents and caregivers about students’ progress, while also effectively preparing students to succeed, whether in post-secondary education or in the future careers of their choice.”

The 2023-24 school year will be the first year that all school districts in B.C. will implement a provincial proficiency scale instead of letter grades on student report cards from kindergarten to Grade 9, while letter grades and percentages will remain in place for students in grades 10, 11 and 12. Nearly half of B.C. students and their families have transitioned to the new model of reporting since it was first piloted in the 2016-17 school year.

“We have received these new report cards for both our son and daughter, and it has helped us better understand their learning needs. The emerging to extending scale, supplemented with teachers’ comments, provides a bigger picture than a simple letter would,” said Gagan Atwal, mother of a Grade 8 student in Surrey. “Now, we have deeper insight into where our child’s doing well and if there’s another aspect of a subject that needs a bit more work. And it’s a good thing that grades 10, 11 and 12 will continue being assessed with grades or percentages because it helps with the kids’ post-secondary admissions.”

In 2016, the Province released the modernized K-12 curriculum, which continues to provide students with a strong foundation for core learning, such as with reading, writing and numeracy, while also teaching children how to communicate, solve problems and use their knowledge in ways that matter in school, post-secondary education and future careers.

The provincial proficiency scale uses the terms emerging, developing, proficient and extending to describe student learning. The updates to student reporting will not affect post-secondary entry requirements for students. All students from kindergarten to Grade 12 will also be included in their own reporting through self-reflection and goal-setting exercises. A graduation status update is also being introduced for grades 10-12 to help students and their families stay on track for graduation.

Information and supports for the modernized policy and changes in reporting are available for schools, educators and families. Additional information for teachers, such as a webinar series, will be released during the 2023-24 school year.

Source: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2023ECC0051-000985

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Communicating Student Learning