The Department of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE) announced in a news release Monday that diploma exams will be optional for NWT students.
The release stated that students and their guardians will be able to decide for themselves whether or not to write their final exams worth 30 per cent of their grade. For those who opt out of exams, their marks from the year will count towards 100 per cent of their grades.
ECE cautioned that it is the student’s responsibility to find out whether an exam is needed for post-secondary applications and that students who choose to write a diploma exam but are dissatisfied with their mark are not eligible for an exemption after the fact.
The option will be available for the January 2021, April 2021, June 2021 and August 2021 exam sessions. Those who wish to write the January 2021 exams must notify their school by Tuesday Dec. 15.
“This decision comes after consideration of both the impacts of Covid-19 on the school system, students and their families and the way that education delivery has been modified for the current school year,” R.J. Simpson, minister of ECE said in the release.
“The government of the Northwest Territories is working with all of our education partners to create a supportive and effective learning environment for students.”
The decision comes after Simpson spoke with education leaders to discuss the NWT response to Alberta Education's recent decision to make diploma exams optional.