Eight years after grade inflation was investigated at several small private schools in Vancouver, statistics show the practice appears to continue.
An analysis of marks found on the Ministry of Education website shows that at some small private schools, high marks are given to English 12 students who later go on to fail the provincial exam.
The Ministry of Education said grade discrepancies of more than 15 per cent are reviewed during annual inspections.
“I think if there’s anything inappropriate that’s proven to be going on, of course that’s always a concern,” said Minister of Education Peter Fassbender. “I know our ministry staff and inspectors are working diligently on it, so I have every confidence if there is anything, they will find it and deal with it accordingly.”
The education ministry may require schools to develop and implement plans to address this issue if it arises, the ministry said in a statement.
“The student populations at these schools are relatively small, but tend to be heavily weighted to international students. Provincial exams can be difficult for any student, especially ones taking it in a second or third language or with different cultural backgrounds, so it is not uncommon to see a greater divergence between course and exam grades in this demographic,” the ministry said.
An example of the divergence can be found at Vancouver’s Century High School, an independent school on Broadway near Granville Street, where 73 per cent of students got better than a C+ on their English 12 course work and just six per cent of students failed. But when they took the English 12 final exam, just 21 per cent got better than a C+ and 48 per cent failed.
The numbers are even worse at Royal Canadian College, where all the students got better than a C+ on their English 12 course work, but one-third of them failed the final exam.
As a comparison, at St. George’s, another Vancouver independent school, 100 per cent of students got better than a C+ on their course work, while 92 per cent did as well on the exam. At Kitsilano Secondary, a Vancouver public school, 81 per cent got a C+ or better on their course work and 80 per cent did the same on the exam.
In 2007, The Vancouver Sun reported that five independent schools would be decertified unless they moved quickly to address concerns about large disparities between English 12 marks on provincial exams and those awarded to students for English work in class.
Then-Minister of Education Shirley Bond gave Century High, Kingston High, Pattison High, Royal Canadian College and St. John’s International three months to meet specific ministry-imposed conditions. They are all Vancouver-based schools that cater mainly to international students and award B.C. graduation certificates. Kingston has since closed.
Fassbender said he is not making any similar threats at this time.
“We are on top of it (and) ministry staff is looking at it and we’ll see what they come up with, but I’ve got the confidence if there is anything we’ll find it and deal with it accordingly,” Fassbender said.
Travis Woloshyn, principal at St. John’s International School, said there is always a gap for international students between the course grades and the provincial exam grades. He said his school is working with the ministry and on its own to narrow that gap as much as possible.
For example, the school has introduced three levels of English before Grade 10 English, and doesn’t allow a student to move on until they are ready. They also added six hours of exam preparation to their English classes.
“It’s always going to be a challenge,” Woloshyn said. “The provincial exam in English is more designed with native speakers in mind. ... Some of the best students just can’t wrap their head around the provincial exam process.” In English 12, the provincial exam counts for 40 per cent of the final grade while in-class work counts for 60 per cent.
The University of B.C.’s Andrew Arida, director of undergraduate admissions, said UBC always gets both the exam mark and the course mark, and where there is a significant discrepancy, the school reserves the right to use the exam mark alone and will revoke admission offers. Last year, there were 91 newly admitted B.C. high school students who had their offer of admission revoked at UBC because of such a discrepancy, Arida said.
“At the end of the day, we’re doing our best to make decisions in a fair and equitable manner, but we are utterly reliant on grades from secondary schools and secondary school teachers, and we count on those grades to be accurate,” Arida said.
English is now the only senior year course that has a provincial exam.
“At the end of the day, those safeguards — to make sure grades are accurate — are very important,” Arida said. “We know that course grades in high schools in B.C. are as a whole, very, very reliable, but on a case-by-case basis there is no way to know.”
The other three schools did not return a request for comment.
Sun Education Reporter
tsherlock@vancouversun.com
with file from Rob Shaw
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来源：网络 ２０１５－０４－２３
溫私校成績「有水分」？省府關注中
據統計數據顯示，溫哥華幾家小規模私立學校學生課業考試成績與省考成績差異巨大。
據教育廳網站上刊登的一項成績分析表明，一些私立學校，英語12級得高分的學生，在之後的省級考試中卻沒有及格。
教育廳長法斯本德（Peter Fassbender）在一份聲明中表示，教育廳要求學校制定並實施計畫來解決這個問題。他表示，這些學校規模都比較小，往往很大一部分學生是國際學生。省考對任何學生來說都不容易，特別是對那些來自不同文化背景的學生，英文是他們的第二或第三語言，課業成績與省級統考成績之間存在較大的差異。
位於溫哥華固蘭街附近的一所名叫世紀高中（Century High School）的私立學校，73%的學生英語12年級課業成績為C+或更好，只有6％的學生沒有及格。然而，他們在這一門課的期末考試成績，只有21％的學生得到一個C+以上，48％的學生沒有通過。
在溫哥華的另一所名叫皇家加拿大學院（Royal Canadian College），該私立學校所有學生的英語12級課程都得到一個C+或更好，但有三分之一的人沒有通過期末考試。
作為對比，溫哥華另一所私立學院聖喬治（St. George』s），所有學生的課業成績都是C+以上，通過考試的學生占92％。基斯蘭奴高中（Kitsilano Secondary），是溫哥華的公立學校，81％的學生課業成績為C +或更好，80％的人在考試中也得到了C +以上。
2007年，溫哥華太陽報曾報導，大溫5所私立學校如果不迅速採取行動，解決英語12年級課業成績與省考之間的巨大差距，將被省教育廳取消認證資格。
當時的教育廳長龐雪莉（Shirley Bond），要求這5所學校：世紀高中, Kingston 高中, Pattison 高中, 皇家加拿大學院和聖約翰國際學校（ St. John』s International）在3個月時間內，要達到教育廳制定的條件。這5所學校均設在溫哥華，主要接納國際學生並有資格頒發卑詩畢業證。Kingston 高中自那年起被關閉。
法斯本德表示，這次他不會效仿這種做法。「我們都在關注著，廳裡的工作人員也一直在注視著，看他們如何解決該問題。但我有信心，如果有什麼事情，我們會發現並做相應處理。」
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来源：明报 2015-04-22
去年近百生失入卑大资格 12班英文成绩与省试出入大
统计数据显示，卑诗省内少数小型私立学校的学生，在校内英文试取得的评分，与在省试中的成绩出现较大差距，其中多数发生在以国际学生为主的学校。省教育厅表示，如分数差距超过15%，教育厅的人员会在年检中作审查。
卑诗大学则表明，在收生时如发现校内成绩与省试分数相距太大，有机会只参考省试成绩作取录。
《温哥华太阳报》(Vancouver Sun)报道，按照省教育厅资料进行分析，发现部分私校的12年班学生，在校内英文科的评核取得较高分数，但之后却在省试中不及格。
省教育厅长法斯本德(Peter Fassbender)表示，如教育厅证实有学校的做法不恰当，教育厅或要求学校针对有关情况，自行订出及实行改善计划。
教育厅发表回应指，这些学校的学生人数相对较少，但国际学生所占的比例颇重。对于并非以英语为母语或文化背景不同的学生而言，省试有一定难度，因此在这些因素下而出现校内成绩与省试有差距的现象，并非罕见。
据《温哥华太阳报》报道，温市Vancouver’s Century High School有73%学生在12年班英文科取得C+或以上的成绩，只有6%的学生不及格，但是英语省试的成绩却有48%的学生不及格，得到C+或以上的仅占21%。
《温哥华太阳报》又说，Royal Canadian College的情况是，所有12年级学生在校内的英语成绩均取得C+或以上，但有三分之一学生却在省试中不及格。
对比之下，《温哥华太阳报》报道，以St. George’s为例，全部学生都能在校内评核中取得C+或以上分数，而在省试的及格率则有92%。公立的Kitsilano Secondary中学，81%学生在校内评核取得及格，而省试及格率则有80%。
在2007年，当时的教育厅长庞雪丽(Shirley Bond)曾向五间以国际学生为主的学校作出要求，要校方在三个月内处理校内评分与省试成绩呈现大差距的问题，以符合省教育厅的标准。
现任省教育厅长法斯本德表示，现阶段不会作出类似警告，并相信教育厅的人员能处理事件。
卑大学招生组总监阿里达(Andrew Arida)指出，在收生时如发现申请人的校内成绩与省试分数相距太大，将会保留权利只参考省试分数或收回录取的决定。去年便有91名学生因为分数差距而被取消取录。
Royal Canadian College说法：数据有误差
皇家学院（Royal Canadian College）特向本网发来说明，表示根据BC省教育厅官方网站公布的数据（https://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/reporting/school.php ）显示，2014年英语12学校不及格率和省考不及格率中，前6名都是同类私校，第7名是公立网校。皇家学院并非最差。由于Royal Canadian College只有10名学生参加省考，30%的不及格率相当于3名学生不及格。这3名学生中：其中一名学生未通过2014年6月的省考是由于当时病重，不宜参加考试，有医生假条为证。这名学生于2015年1月份重考，取得73分，此分数与学校考试分数只相差3分。另一名省考不及格的学生，他的学校成绩B是在前一所公校取得的，但是由于转校原因才出现在皇家学院的成绩单上。
Royal Canadian College同时宣称，过去两年（2012和2013）的英语12省考，通过率达到100%，2013年最高省考成绩是90分。
