The province is suspending June exams for Grade 12 students, Manitoba Education stated in a letter to superintendents and principals.
The province also suspended Grade 12 provincial tests in January as a result of the challenges posed in delivering education during the pandemic.
“The Society started advocating early, beginning in July, 2020, for this suspension. That advocacy was not only based on workload and achievable expectations, but also on the best use of instructional time and sound assessment practices,” said MTS President James Bedford. “Teachers are still being asked to do two jobs at once. They are teaching both online and in the classroom at the same time, and sometimes to students spread across multiple classrooms.”
Manitoba Education says they remain committed to students learning in classrooms, but due to the pandemic, many students will continue with blended learning that could include future transitions to full-time remote learning in some schools.
“The implementation of a provincial test in this context raises questions around the fairness to students and the validity of the data if the tests were to proceed,” the letter states. “The suspension of the tests in June 2021 will allow teachers to continue to focus on the COVID-19 learning and teaching response, and the mental health and well-being of students.”
Teachers will continue with ongoing local evaluation of curricular outcomes and assign grades as per school and school division direction.