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Alberta diploma exam results no longer required for admission
High school graduates in Alberta who want to study at the University of Saskatchewan can breathe easier, thanks to recent changes to the school’s admissions policy.
Beginning with the fall 2012 admission cycle, Alberta diploma exam results will no longer be required for admission to undergraduate programs.
For Grade 12 students in Alberta, 50 per cent of their final grade in a course is based on their mark on the mandatory diploma exam, while students in other parts of the country are graded using marks accumulated over their entire Grade 12 year. Albertans who apply to the U of S will now be assessed based on their in-class marks, their diploma exam marks or a blend of the two—whichever results in the highest final grade.
“We made this decision based on years of feedback from Alberta curriculum high school counsellors, parents and, of course, students, as well as looking at a few years of data and research,” explains Dan Seneker, manager of Undergraduate Recruitment at the U of S.
Seneker estimates that the university has seen a 15 per cent increase in the number of applicants from Alberta and expects that other institutions may also be reviewing their admissions policies. The U of S believes that every other province that had a provincial testing system has moved away from it for a reason—such tests are no longer a reliable assessment of students and their abilities. Rather than one three-hour test determining the success or failure of a student, Seneker says, “it is much more logical to rely on the assessment from teachers who have been working with students all term or all year and often for multiple years. They are professionals and this is what they are trained to do. Our aim is to simply level the playing field with regards to admissions to the U of S and assess all Canadian applicants in an equitable manner.”
Pat Schultz, associate registrar and director of Enrollment Management at the University of Alberta, says that the U of A won’t be following suit any time soon. “It’s no secret that Alberta high school graduates are top students and this is purely a recruitment strategy on [the U of S’s] part. Has it impacted the way we do things? No. We want the student to come in and be successful and we’ve found that, using the Alberta curriculum, our students do very well, and that’s because of Alberta teachers.”
