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B.C. drops optional grade 12 provincial exams
British Columbia is dropping optional Grade 12 provincial exams and changing its provincial scholarship program so that more students will be eligible.
The announcement was made this morning at a private meeting of B.C. school superintendents in Kelowna.
Optional exams are being discontinued because few students write them now that universities and other post-secondary schools no longer base admission decisions on marks from provincial exams.
The B.C. Education Ministry says about 80 per cent of Grade 12 students chose not to write the optional exams last year and that’s reduced eligibility for provincial scholarships, which have continued to be based on provincial exam results. An estimated $2.5 million in scholarships has not been claimed as a result.
To read the full story published in the Vancouver Sun, click here.
B.C. school district seeks $1-million loan to operate schools in China
Nechako Lakes district recently requested $1 million in loans to operate B.C.-certified schools in China.
Click here to read the full story, from Janet Steffenhagen’s blog.
Do video games teach kids ‘new literacy’?
When you check in with your kid, who is now into hour three of his Halo marathon, you repeat that well-worn phrase your mother used on you about killing brain cells and trading in the controller (well, it was a joystick back in your day) for a book. A new article on PBS’s Mediashift web portal presents a different argument: our definition of literacy is outdated. Kids may be learning a “new literacy” through playing video games.
CT (Certified Teacher) Designation denied
B.C. teachers will not receive a professional designation. The government nixed the idea over the summer, disallowing a bylaw proposed by the B.C. College of Teachers (BCCT) that would have allowed teachers to place the letters CT – for certified teacher – after their names, just as nurses use RN and engineers, P. Eng.
Click here to read the full story, on Janet Steffenhagen’s blog Report Card.
Simple quiz helps identify children’s developmental delays: BC study
According to a recent BC study, a simple questionnaire can help parents identify developmental disabilities among their pre-school children.
Click here to read the full story.