1991-1992 School Year OCT 1 6 199| General Information Bulletin Diploma Examinations Program 4 Students ‘ H Wr First! Student Evaluation Liberia EDUCATION Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016 https://archive.org/details/diplomaexaminat1991albe_6 The General Information Bulletin includes directives issued by the Director, Student Evaluation Branch, under the authority of the Student Evaluation Regulation 40/89 pursuant to the School Act, Chapter S-3.1, 1988. In this bulletin, a. "Director" means the Director of the Student Evaluation Branch of the Department of Education; b. "Student" means a student as defined in the School Act and/or a student with mature status as defined in the Guide to Education, Senior High School Handbook. The mandatory statements (directives) are shown in boldface type. DISTRIBUTION: Superintendents of Schools • School Principals, Counsellors, and Teachers • The Alberta Teachers' Association • Alberta School Trustees' Association • Alberta Education • General Public Upon Request - 1 - SUMMARY OF CHANGES Readers who are familiar with the General Information Bulletin will notice that several changes and additions to matters of policy have been included in the 1991-92 edition. Below is a summary of these changes and additions. Page Topic Type of Information Special Cases Committee function of the committee 2 Registration for January or registering for rewrites; late registration 3 June Diploma Examinations for students who have changed schools Late Applications regulations 4 Exchange Students translation dictionaries disallowed 5 Security of the Diploma returning special format examinations 6 Examinations 18 Submitting School- changes to school-awarded marks awarded Marks Reporting the Results obtaining summer school marks from (Reporting to Schools) students 21 Issuing Diplomas French language diplomas, 33 Certificates of Achievement (IOP) 36-39; Students with a L earning use of scribes' services no longer permitted and/or Physical Disability 40-43 37 (#8) fundamental principle of confidentiality 40 (#8) - 11 - TABLE OF CONTENTS Page HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA COURSE AND CREDIT REQUIREMENTS Introduction 1 Provisions for Students with Mature Status 1 Course Credit in Fran^ais 30 1 Previously Earned Credits 2 Special Cases Committee 2 Admission to Postsecondary Institutions 2 THE GRADE 12 DIPLOMA EXAMINATIONS "Information for Students" Brochure 3 Field Testing 3 Format of the Diploma Examinations 3 Registration for January or June Diploma Examinations 3 Mature Students 4 Application Forms 4 Personal Identification 4 Late Applications 4 Results 4 Separate Writings of Parts A a nd B o f English 30/English 33, and Parties A a nd B o f Fran^ais 30 4 Late Arrivals 5 Exchange Students 5 French Translations 5 Security of the Dipoma Examinations 5 Violation of the Examination Rules 6 Appeals 6 Calculating Marks 7 SPECIAL PROVISIONS Students with a L earning and/or Physical Disability 8 Certificate of Illness 8 Special Writing Centres 9 ADMINISTERING DIPLOMA EXAMINATIONS January and June 1992 Writing Centres 11 August 1992 Writing Centres 11 Grade 12 Diploma Examinations, 1992 Schedule 12 Grade 12 Diploma Examinations, 1993 Schedule 13 Significant Dates 14 PROCEDURES FOR ADMINISTRATION AND MARKING Distribution, Administration, and Collection of Examinations 18 Private Schools 18 Submitting School-Awarded Marks 18 Marking Examinations 19 Marking Dates for the 1992 Diploma Examinations 19 DIPLOMA EXAMINATION RESULTS Reporting the Results 20 Diploma Examination Reports 22 Appeal Provisions 23 Transcripts and Diplomas 25 - i ii - APPENDICES Appendix A Student Notification of Separate Writing for Part A/ B o f the 27 English 30/33 or for Partie A/ B o f the Franqais 30 Diploma 28 Examinations Appendix B Examination Rules, Grade 12 Diploma Examinations Appendix C Processing Marks for Results Statements, Transcripts, and Diplomas 30 Appendix D Revised Policy - O fficial Transcripts: Recording Final Marks 34 Appendix E Policy - S pecial Examination Provisions for Students with a L earning Disability 36 40 Appendix F Policy - S pecial Examination Provisions for Students with a P hysical Disability Appendix G Certificate of Illness, Grade 12 Diploma Examinations 4454 Appendix H Application to Establish a S pecial Writing Centre, Grade 12 Diploma Examinations 46 Appendix I Calculator Policy 47 Alberta Education Contacts Appendix J - IV - HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA COURSE AND CREDIT REQUIREMENTS INTRODUCTION All Grade 12 students in Alberta are required to write at least one diploma examination, either English 30 or English 33, to receive a high school diploma. The Grade 12 Diploma Examinations Program is intended to develop and maintain excellence in educational standards by certifying academic achievement. The Diploma Examinations Program consists of examinations in selected Grade 12 courses: English 30, English 33, Social Studies 30, Mathematics 30, Biology 30, Chemistry 30, Physics 30, and Fran^ais 30. To obtain credit in any high school course, students must earn a final mark of 50% or higher. To obtain credit in a d iploma examination course, students must write the appropriate diploma examination and attain a f inal blended mark of 50% or higher, unless they have been exempted from writing the examination by the Director of the Special Cases Committee of Alberta Education. The final blended mark is the average of the school-awarded mark and the diploma examination mark. For example, a student taking Chemistry 30 who receives a mark of 45% from the school and scores 57% on the diploma examination will receive a f inal blended mark of 51%. That student will therefore earn credit in Chemistry 30 because the final blended mark awarded is over 50%. PROVISIONS FOR Students with mature status may write any diploma examination STUDENTS WITH without taking formal instruction in the course. Their diploma MATURE STATUS examination mark will constitute 100% of their final mark. If students with mature status enrol in a d iploma examination course at an accredited Alberta high school, their final course mark will be a b lended one only if their school-awarded mark is lower than their diploma examination mark. Students who are uncertain about their eligibility for mature student status should contact Student Records. (See Appendix J, page 47.) Individual student programs should not be confirmed until Student Records receives the required verification. For information about eligibility criteria for mature students, refer to the Guide to Education, Senior High School Handbook, 1991 - 9 2, pages 71-72. COURSE CREDIT IN Frangais 30 is the final course in the language arts program FRANQAIS30 Fran^ais 10-20-30. This program is designed for students in francophone schools and for students who are francophone students according to Section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Students enrolled in Frangais 30 are required to write the Fran^ais 30 Diploma Examination. - 1 - PREVIOUSLY EARNED Alberta Education recognizes all course credits earned before CREDITS September 1, 1984, for the purpose of awarding the General High School Diploma. Students who are registered in Grade 12 may apply any of their previously completed diploma examination subject requirements toward the Advanced High School Diploma provided they have earned a f inal course mark of 50% or higher. SPECIAL CASES The Special Cases Committee of Alberta Education deals with all COMMITTEE matters that require interpreting and applying policy relative to an individual student's program. The committee consists of Alberta Education directors and is the final procedural level in the appeal process, outside the Minister of Education. Students must have explored all other avenues of appeal at the local school authority level before appealling to this provincial body. Further information about the operations of the Special Cases Committee is in the Guide to Education, Senior High School Handbook, 1991 - 9 2, pages 73-74. ADMISSION TO Students who plan to attend a p ostsecondary institution should POSTSECONDARY consult the institution's calendar about admission requirements INSTITUTIONS and should plan their high school programs accordingly. Students may wish to view the Alberta Education video entitled A C redit to Yourself: Planning Your High School Program. Transcript Request forms are available from any high school or postsecondary institution, or from Alberta Education. Students may request Student Records to send official transcripts directly to any institution or prospective employer by completing a T ranscript Request form. Marks from the January, June, and August administrations will be distributed no later than February 21, 1992, July 20, 1992, and August 31, 1992 respectively. -2 - THE GRADE 12 DIPLOMA EXAMINATIONS ’INFORMATION FOR The "Information for Students" brochure answers general STUDENTS" questions or concerns that students may have about the Grade 12 BROCHURE Diploma Examinations Program. This brochure is mailed to schools in September; schools then distribute them to students. Additional copies are available from the Student Evaluation Branch. (See Appendix J, page 47.) FIELD TESTING The purpose of field testing is to validate questions that may be used in future diploma examinations. Schools that wish to participate in field testing should contact the Field Testing Co-ordinator of the Student Evaluation Branch. (See Appendix J, page 47.) FORMAT OF THE The Grade 12 diploma examinations, examination blueprints, and DIPLOMA scoring guides are based on the provincially prescribed Program of EXAMINATIONS Studies for Senior High Schools. All questions and assignments are developed according to curriculum specifications for each diploma examination course. These specifications are distributed to high schools by the Student Evaluation Branch. Bulletins containing descriptions of the diploma examinations and any changes to their format, subject matter, or scoring are also distributed to superintendents, principals, counsellors, teachers, and trustees at the beginning of each school year by the Student Evaluation Branch. School administrators must ensure that students have access to the information in these bulletins. REGISTRATION FOR Students enrolled in Grade 12 diploma examination courses at JANUARY OR JUNE accredited Alberta high schools will be registered by their principals DIPLOMA to write diploma examinations in those courses. Their candidacy EXAMINATIONS will be confirmed by their principals on the Diploma Examination Registration Checklist form issued by the Information Services Branch. Students who intend to rewrite one or more diploma examinations without repeating the course and students who transfer into a school after the principal has submitted the registration checklist must apply to the Student Evaluation Branch by November 15, 1991, and April 15, 1992, in order to write the January and June diploma examinations respectively. Students can obtain application forms from their principal. Alberta Distance Students enrolled in Grade 12 diploma examination courses at the Learning Centre Alberta Distance Learning Centre must apply to that institution to Students write the diploma examinations. These students must indicate their choice of writing centre (any accredited high school offering Grade 12 diploma examination courses) on the application form provided by the Alberta Distance Learning Centre. Students must make arrangements with the principal of the selected writing centre to write a s pecific diploma examination when they apply to write the examination. (See SIGNIFICANT DATES, pages 14 to 17.) -3 - The deadlines for receiving applications at the Alberta Distance Learning Centre are November 15, 1991, and April 15, 1992, respectively for the January and June administrations. Mature Students Students with mature status must apply to the Student Evaluation Branch by November 15, 1991, and April 15, 1992, to write diploma examinations in January or June respectively. When they apply, students with mature status must indicate their choice of writing centre (any accredited high school offering Grade 12 diploma examination courses). They must also make arrangements with the principal of the high school in which they intend to write the diploma examination(s) when they apply to write the examination(s). Application Forms Application forms may be obtained from any Alberta high school, from Regional Offices of Education, or from the Student Evaluation Branch. For the August administration only, students complete applications just before writing an examination. Personal Identification At the time of writing, candidates who are not regular students at the school at which they are writing must present personal identification that includes a s ignature and a p hotograph in order to write the examination. If the student is unable to do so, the student should be allowed one hour to provide proper identification; the examination period may be extended for this student. This extension must be recorded on the Principal's Statement and returned to Alberta Education with the examination. Late Applications Late applications will be accepted only at the discretion of the principal of the school at which the student intends to write. Principals should base their approval on the availability of extra examination materials, space, and whether in their opinion the student has a satisfactory reason for applying late. Results Results for students who have written a d iploma examination at a school in which they are not registered in a d iploma examination course do not appear on the summary of that school's marks. The marks of students with mature status are confidential and therefore are not reported to any school. The marks of other walk-in candidates are reported to the schools in which the students are registered. SEPARATE WRITINGS To obtain credit for English 30, English 33, or Fran^ais 30, students of PARTS A a nd EOF must complete both parts of the diploma examination within the ENGLISH 30/ENGLISH same administration period. When serious illness, an accident, or 33, and PARTIES A a nd a d eath in the immediate family prevents a student from writing, B O F FRAN£AIS 30 two options are available: • rewrite both Part A a nd Part B a t the next administration • complete a S tudent Notification of Separate Writing form to request permission to write Part A a nd Part B o f the same examination at different administrations. This form must be -4 -