Students, teachers urge Quebec to follow rest of Canada, get rid of finals worth 50%
Concerns raised over pressure, student vulnerability and limits on creativity
As students across the province get ready to write their ministerial exams, the pressure is high — and so are the stakes.
Luca Di Fiore, a Grade 11 student, says the final exam feels like a judgment.
"It seems unfair almost after everything you do throughout the entire year," he said.
"To hear that one test that you do at the end of the year, irrespective of everything you've accomplished throughout the entire year, could just change everything for you [is unfortunate]."
Quebec is the only province in Canada where some final exams account for 50 per cent of high school students' final grades. Some teachers and students have been pushing for change and wish to be heard.
The province has standardized Grade 10 and 11 exams in French, English, mathematics, history and science – all worth between 25 and 35 per cent of final grades.
But some, including history of Quebec and Canada and basic French as a second language, count for 50 per cent.
Other Canadian provinces also administer standardized exams, but none are weighted as heavily.
Quebec wasn't always the only province placing such emphasis on these exams. Alberta brought its equivalent – Diploma Exams – down to 30 per cent 10 years ago.
Di Fiore explained that if students are unable to retain everything they learned during the year, it can make all their hard work feel "pointless" when it all comes down to just three hours.
His classmate, Mia Beauchamp, shared that a poor exam result has the power to bring down her mood and her confidence and makes her doubt whether she'll pass the year.
"I think it's very stressful because we can't remember it all. Teachers aren't expected to remember it all, why are we?" she asked.
She believes the exam's weight should be reduced.
Di Fiore proposed replacing the ministerial exam with monthly standardized tests from the ministry.
Although he acknowledged the value in maintaining test uniformity to ensure consistent teaching across the province, he emphasized the need to discuss lowering the exam's weight.
'Not the way the real world works'
Paul Berry, a Grade 10 and 11 mathematics and history teacher at Options High School, is also advocating for a reduction in the final exam's weight. While he sees their importance, he argued they shouldn't hold the level of prominence currently given to them.
"[The government treats] these exams like they're sacred texts and like they're the be-all and end-all," he said, adding that the experience is very heavy for many students.
"There's nothing really in life where you're going to be facing that type of situation … It's just not the way the real world works."
Berry and his colleagues work with many students who struggle with mental health and learning disabilities. He expressed concern over whether these students can effectively demonstrate their knowledge under such pressure.
"For the most vulnerable students, it's really them who get hit the hardest," he said.
Berry also views the situation as a sign of distrust in teachers, who spend their entire year with their students.
"It shows a real lack of appreciation for the work that we do and a lack of concern for the real-life consequences that some of these students will face if they're not able to meet what the government considers to be the standard," he said.
Current model limits teachers, some teachers say
Michael Wadden, a Grade 10 and 11 history teacher at a high school in Montreal's West Island, remarked that it often feels like teachers are "teaching to an exam."
He wishes he had more freedom to engage students through alternative methods – like a mock parliament, debates, analysis and reflection – but says those activities risk cutting into exam preparation time.
Wadden argued that the current model limits students' ability to reflect, express their opinions and take a stance – skills he says all teachers would love to encourage them to develop, especially in a course that teaches Canadian and Quebec history.
Around this time of year, he starts to see more absenteeism as students realize much of the classroom time will be dedicated to reviewing material they feel they can study on their own.
Wadden also pointed out that some of his students are grappling with trauma and issues at home.
"To have everything so dependent on one day and three hours is just not fair to these kids," he said.
Wadden's colleague, Esther Ste-Marie, a Grade 7 social studies teacher, noted that even though her students don't yet write ministerial exams, teachers are already working hard to prepare them for Grade 10.
Still, this year, she's trying something new: prioritizing a project-based approach and critical thinking.
"It's been working well, but I still have at the back of my head … my students. They still need to be able to do a formal test because in Grade 10, they'll have to do it like everybody else," she said.
Ste-Marie pointed out that this reality ties teachers to the responsibility of preparing students for ministerial exams.
"The ministry is asking us to create those students ready for the 21st century skills to make them lifelong learners, to make them critical thinkers, but yet they're limiting us," she said.
"We want them to think outside the box, but we're not allowing them to think outside the box."
How Alberta's exam reform benefited students
Jason Schilling, the president of the Alberta Teachers' Association, explained that the province's decision to make final exams worth 30 per cent instead of 50 significantly relieved pressure on students.
"It also allowed me as a teacher to assess my students in a variety of different ways that would show what the students know more than necessarily sitting down and doing their reading comprehension in a written test in such a high stakes kind of moment," he said.
"When it's not weighted as much or if it's not weighted at all, it does allow you flexibility to be more creative."
Quebec Education Minister Bernard Drainville stated last week that he is not considering any changes.
"Fifty per cent to ensure equality, to ensure that we can compare results from one school to the next, from one region to the next," he told reporters.
But Di Fiore, while understanding Drainville's perspective, disagrees.
"If we're talking about equality, if everybody's at 30 [per cent], that's still equality, right?" asked Di Fiore.
"And why are students getting pressure put on them if the thing that we're attempting to evaluate with these [exams] is the school systems?"
Di Fiore believes those affected by the current system deserve a voice in the decision.
"If you're a doctor, you talk to your patient about what they're feeling," he said. "I think everybody should be involved in that conversation so we can get all perspectives."
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