Students to write ELA exam by June 21

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This article was published 28/05/2024 (494 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba Grade 12 students are expected to write their English language arts (ELA) exam by June 21, Education Minister Nello Altomare said at the Manitoba Legislative Assembly on Monday.

The four-day exam, initially set for Monday, was postponed last Friday due to missing permissions for test materials, according to a provincial statement. The development affects tests covering the second semester, with the first semester exams completed in January.

In a session marked by pointed exchanges with Spruce Woods MLA Grant Jackson, Altomare clarified the reasons behind the postponement.

“My department decided on Friday afternoon, and it is out of an abundance of caution regarding the identification of a certain amount of tokens that was used in the reading material for the exam,” he told the assembly. “All Grade 12 students in Manitoba will write the ELA provincial exam by June 21 of this academic year.”

The minister emphasized that the exams were not cancelled but merely postponed to ensure the integrity and privacy of the test materials.

Jackson, a member of the Opposition Progressive Conservatives, criticized the timing of the decision and questioned the minister’s previous commitment to reinstate the exams.

The minister defended the government’s actions and accused the opposition of spreading misinformation.

“While that member brings false information on a record, we’re here to bring clarity to the record. Clearly, that member is misinformed,” he said.

Jackson pressed further, questioning the minister’s awareness of the issues that led to the postponement and the short notice given to teachers.

“If he knew in advance that this was going to be an issue with the identification of students, why did he only give teachers a few days in order to prepare for these exams to be postponed?”

Altomare reiterated the government’s commitment to education and highlighted the Opposition’s previous handling of provincial assessments, “This member is new. He doesn’t understand that for four years in a row, the former government cancelled exams. Our government brought them back because we know how important it is for students to be prepared for the working future.”

Brandon School Division Supt. Mathew Gustafson said the division communicated the information to schools on Friday afternoon, and the schools then informed students and families about the suspension of the standards test.

“We haven’t received significant feedback, except for questions regarding the timing of the replacement exam,” Gustafson told the Sun on Monday. “Schools are currently working collaboratively to establish a common approach and to provide timely information to students and parents.”

Gustafson said schools would be responsible for administering a summative assessment by June 21, adding they are planning accordingly.

“The three schools will be working together on this. Each school will implement the final assessment no later than June 21,” he said. “We are considering the timing of other exams, such as the math standards exams, and trying to schedule the English exam in a way that makes sense for the students.”

As for the format of the exam, Gustafson said schools might use their past experiences when provincial standards exams were not available and the exam could be a block of time or broken into shorter periods during class times.

“Since the exams must be completed by June 21, we are working on the details now. I anticipate that we will have a plan within the next one to three weeks,” he said.

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