The Ministry recognizes there are circumstances in which a student may be unable to demonstrate his or her knowledge on provincial exams using standard procedures and formats. In special circumstances, students taking provincial exams may be entitled to adaptations to exam conditions that assist in reading exam questions and/or recording exam responses. These circumstances may be either predictable (i.e., students with previously identified special needs) or unpredictable (i.e., students with sudden serious illness, injury or extreme personal difficulty).
- Note that the following are not considered adaptations to exam conditions and schools may provide them to any student: an additional 60 minutes to complete an exam, supervised breaks, a separate setting, or a computer without spellchecker. The use of computers is consistent with the Ministryís electronic exam options, but it is understood that not all schools may be in a position to allow widespread computer use.
- Note also that adaptations to exam conditions are not available to students working on modified programs.
- Changes to the content of exams, such as paraphrasing, rewording, clarifying or explaining exam questions are not allowed. If schools have been using this strategy to support students with special needs to prepare them for provincial exams, practice test-taking should be given only with Ministry-approved adaptations.
Procedures/Steps for Adaptations to Exam Conditions for Predictable Circumstances
1. Verify student meets special needs criteria for adaptations: Students with special needs are those who are reported in one of the Ministry funding categories below:
- Physical Disability or Chronic Health Impairment
- Visual Impairment
- Deaf or Hard of Hearing
- Intellectual Disability
- Students Requiring Behaviour Support/Intervention or Students with Mental Illness
- Autism
- Learning Disability
2/3. Confirm exam adaptations required are Ministry-approved, and Determine whether the Ministry or school/district gives approval for the adaptations: The adaptations requested must clearly address the identified special need (e.g., a scribe for a student with a written expression disability). Examples of adaptations include:
- Time (over 60 minutes)
- Braille
- Large Print (Paper Copy)
- Spellchecker
- Text Reader (Built In Files)
- Kurzweil (Word Recognition Software)
- Reader*
- Scribe*
*Ministry approval required
4. Ensure student documentation meets eligibility criteria for adaptations: The supporting IEP must clearly document the ongoing use of the requested adaptations in school based assessments and exams (course-specific). Statements such as "may be offered", "is available", or "may be allowed" are not sufficient. The IEP should confirm all of the following:
- the student has been working toward the prescribed (i.e., not modified) learning outcomes of the course for which adaptations to exam conditions are requested
- the student has been using the same adaptations in school tests and exams as requested for the provincial exam (e.g., using a computer with a spellchecker in English 10 for assignments and tests)
5. Apply to the Ministry for adaptations for a reader or scribe and inform the Ministry of other (e.g., special format) or school/district approved adaptations as required.
How the Process Works
1. Secondary learning resource teachers/counselors create a list of students currently using adaptations who may qualify for adjudication and ensure that they meet Ministry criteria for one of the special education categories.
2. Secondary learning resource teachers/counsellors collect information in students' files which includes:
- dates of previous psycho-educational assessments and/or achievement updates (including age and grade of student at time of assessment)
- medical reports
- IEPs
3. The school based team meets with the educational psychologist to determine which students need adjudication assessments and to verify data collected thus far.
4. The educational psychologist completes adjudication assessments.
5. The school based team creates a list of students who are intending to use adaptations by the deadlines established by the Ministry. Deadlines occur approximately three to four months prior to the exam date. The educational psychologist will typically try to consult with the school and help them complete the necessary paperwork, including the ìStudents Receiving Adjudicationî and the districtís ìPreviously Approvedî forms.
6. Psychologists in conjunction with the schools submit the required paperwork to the Ministry regarding the intended adaptations approved by the school/district.
7. Schools will submit a copy of the ìStudents Receiving Adjudicationî form and a copy of the districtís ìPreviously Approvedî form, listing students who have previously been approved and continue to meet eligibility criteria for adaptations, to the district administrator responsible for adjudication.
8. School Administrators and the Special Education contact at each school report to the Ministry students who used adaptations due to unpredictable circumstances, at the end of the exam session, on the ìStudents Receiving Adjudicationî form. It is recommended that someone at the school be designated to monitor the adjudication process and complete all paperwork. Documents must be kept for one year after the students graduate.
In order to request adjudication for a student, please contact the studentís Learning Resource Teacher or the Counsellor at the school, or Kathyrn D'Angelo, District Administrator, Learning Services (kd'angelo@sd38.bc.ca)
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