Public Exam Information

Public Exam Overview

What are public exams?

Public exams are comprehensive final exams that assess a broad range of course outcomes at various cognitive levels, with the main focus on application of knowledge and higher order reasoning.  Exams are administered in the following grade 12 courses:

  • Biology 3201/Biologie 3231
  • Chemistry 3202/Chimie 3232
  • Earth Systems 3209
  • English 3201
  • Français 3202
  • Mathematics 3200/Mathematiques 3230 (advanced)
  • Mathematics 3201/Mathematiques 3231 (academic)
  • Physics 3204
  • Social Studies 3201/Sciences Humaines 3231

Public exams are based on course curriculum outcomes as set out by the Department of Education.  The exams aim to assess a broad range of curriculum outcomes, however there are certain outcomes that are not as well suited to being assessed on an exam.  For this reason the current final course mark is weighted such that 60% of the grade is based on the school mark and 40% on the exam mark.  While there is considerable overlap in the outcomes assessed at the school level and on the public exams, this weighting reflects that school level assessment is able to take all course outcomes into account and assess them using a greater variety of assessment strategies.

In addition to covering a broad range of outcomes, public exams assess these outcomes at various cognitive levels.  While there are some items that are based on basic understanding, recall, and recognition, the majority of exam items are focused on higher order thinking and skills such as application, problem solving, analysis, evaluation, and synthesis.  By assessing various levels of understanding and ability, students’ achievement of course outcomes can be evaluated more accurately.

What is the purpose of public exams?

          Public exams in Newfoundland and Labrador have four main purposes:

  • To certify the level of student achievement that has been attained in select grade 12 courses. While course curriculum documents prescribe the scope of teaching and learning content in both breadth and depth, various assessment approaches exist from school to school and even from teacher to teacher within schools.  As a result, there are differing standards of assessment and evaluation within the school system.
  • To establish and maintain a common, consistent standard that is province wide. Public exams provide a common standard which is consistent for all students and is consistent over time.  This standard is based on the curriculum outcomes, established by teachers through the exam development process, and maintained through ensuring that all exams are valid, reliable, and fair.  In addition, psychometric procedures and analysis enable results to be accurately compared from one exam administration to another and year over year.
  • To provide individual, school, and province-wide results. This impartial, external data is valuable for
    • improving teaching, learning, and assessment practices and strategies at the school level,
    • developing and monitoring school action plans, and
    • developing and monitoring educational programs and policies.
  • To ensure fairness to students. In addition to points mentioned above, public exam results are commonly used in awarding scholarships (provincial, post-secondary, etc.) and as a basis for admission to post-secondary programs, some of which have limited enrollment.  By providing results based on a common standard, public exams ensure that these competitions are fair to all students.

Why are Public Exams Necessary to Certify Achievement and to Fairly Compare Student Results?

 For over 50 years, public exams have been used in NL to certify the level of student achievement in select grade 12 courses.  School marks alone are less reliable for certification purposes, since there are sometimes differing standards from school to school and even amongst teachers within the same school.  For example,

June 2019 Results (Math 3200)

School Average Mark Exam Average Mark
School A 81.22 75.57
School B 80.87 78.00
School C 80.59 70.07
School D 80.46 64.92

Based on school marks alone, it appears that all four schools have attained a similar proficiency in Math 3200.  The common standard provided by the public exam, however, shows that this is not the case. The scope of what the public exam and school based assessments measure may differ. However, the two sets of marks should be reasonably close since they are assessing the same program of studies guided by the curriculum outcomes.

What are other benefits and uses of public exams? 

Students

Public exams can positively affect student learning in various ways, which have been well-demonstrated by empirical studies in cognitive science and educational research:

  • Preparing for the final exam can be a valuable learning experience and a crucial step in developing expertise. “When students are motivated to prepare, studying encourages consolidation and organization of knowledge, rehearsal or domain-relevant processes and strategies, stronger links to conditions of use, and greater automaticity in execution; in other words, the development of expertise.”  (Bennett 2011)
  • The simple expectation of a final cumulative test enhances learning and retention. (Szpunar et al., 2007)
  • The testing effect: the act of taking a test enhances later retention. (Roedigger, Karpicke, 2006; Glass, et al. 2012).  “Students completing courses with cumulative finals retained more than students who took noncumulative finals.”  (Khanna, et al. 2013)
  • The spacing effect: cumulative finals require students to study material that has been studied at an earlier time. This repetition, and more importantly the spacing between repetitions, promotes deeper learning.  “Spaced review or practice enhances diverse forms of learning, including memory, problem solving, and generalization to new situations.” (Kang 2016)
  • In addition to the above benefits of cumulative final exams, cumulative testing throughout a course of study (such as midterm exams) further enhances learning and retention, especially for low-achieving students. (Lawrence 2012, Beagley 2016)

For additional information see reference list .

Teachers

Public exams and their results provide valuable benefits to teachers:

  • The common exam encourages a comparable standard of instruction and assessment both within and across schools.
  • Exam data and outcome reports help teachers identify areas not mastered by students and thereby adjust instruction and/or assessment.
  • Teachers can access valuable professional learning opportunities in exam development and marking.

School Administrators and School Districts

Public exams and their results provide information for school administrators and school districts:

  • To monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of policies related to scheduling, instruction, and assessment.
  • Data is commonly used to develop and monitor school action plans.
  • Enables schools to track student performance over time, based on an external standard that is impartial and consistent.

Ministry of Education

Finally, public exam results provide valuable information to the Department of Education regarding the performance of the school system.  These results can be used for:

  • assessing and developing curriculum
  • assessing and developing system-wide policies and interventions
  • better allocating educational resources

 How are public exams developed?

The public exam development process is based on best practices of large-scale assessment.  The overall process is similar to that used by other provincial, national and international assessments, such as Alberta Diploma Exams, PCAP and PISA.  This process is based on many of the principles and guidelines set forth in Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (developed jointly by the American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association, and the National Council on Measurement in Education) – commonly considered the ‘gold standard’ in large-scale assessment programs.

A key feature of the exam development process, which gives strong support to the validity and reliability of the exams and results, is the involvement of teachers throughout.  Subject matter experts who are current practitioners in the classroom are involved in writing and revising exam items, approving the overall scope and accuracy of exam content, and marking constructed response items.

Another vital component of exam development is the involvement of students.  After items are written and edited they are then field tested with students who are enrolled in the respective course.  During field testing, students have opportunities to give feedback on the clarity of items (as do teachers) and they attempt the items as they would in any other test setting.  When field testing and marking have been completed, data on student performance for each item as well as student and teacher feedback are then used to determine whether or not each item is suitable for use on a public exam.

The entire development process is under the oversight of Ministry personnel at the Department of Education which includes teachers who have formerly taught at the high school level and have received specialized training in large-scale assessment development, a psychometrician, and data analysts.

Public Exam Schedules / Horaire des Examens Publics

  • The June exam schedule is not available at this time

Public Exam Marking Board

  • There are no Marking Board applications available at this time.

Math Scholarship Score 3203

Students who write Mathematics 3200 will automatically have a Math Scholarship Score 3203 placed on their transcripts. This ensures that the overall provincial scholarship score calculated from Mathematics 3200 and Mathematics 3201 is consistent for both courses. The student’s Math Scholarship Score 3203 is based on a scale derived from the 3200 students’ examination result. It has no credit value and it will be used in the calculation of the overall provincial scholarship score for graduating students. The higher of the two grades reflected on a student’s transcript for Mathematics Scholarship Score 3203 or Mathematics 3200 will also be used by Memorial University to satisfy the grade 12 Mathematics subject area requirement and calculate the student’s entrance average. Note: The actual Math 3200 score will be used to determine satisfaction of prerequisite requirements for mathematics courses.

Public Exam Rereads

If a student is not satisfied with the mark they have received in any public exam course, they may request a re-read. There is a non-refundable fee for this of $10. The higher of the two marks will be used to determine the final mark. The deadline for requesting a re-read (when available) will be contained on the published application for re-read.

  • No rereads available at this time

Supplementary Exams / Examens de reprise

  • There are no exams scheduled at this time

Other Public Exam Resources

Please fax completed registration forms to 729-0611 or mail to address below:

Department of Education
High School Certification
P.O. Box 8700
St. John’s, NL
A1B 4J6

 

Preparatory Help:

Some schools offer summer school which may include public exams courses.

The Centre for Distance Learning and Innovation (CDLI) provides review material and online tutoring services that can assist students with their preparation for writing provincial public examinations. Please visit the following links:

  • CDLI web site (http://www.cdli.ca ). Request site access as noted, or simply log in if access has already been acquired. Public exam review material is accessible in the Learning Content section of the site.
  • Tutoring in Newfoundland and Labrador web site (http://www.cdli.ca/tutoring ). Navigate the links on the site to learn more about the services offered

Past public exams and other resources are available at edu_k12_evaluation_resources

Accommodations/Accommodements:

Students who require accommodations are able to use adaptations which fall under Adaptations/Accommodations Policy PDF (185 KB) outlined by the Department of Education. Schools submit the application (285 KB), or the application for ESL support (207 KB) on behalf of the student, to their school district.

Les élèves qui ont besoin d’accommodements peuvent utiliser les adaptations qui sont inclus dans le document Adaptations/Accommodations Policy (119 KB) présenté par le ministère de l’éducation et du Développement de la petite enfance. Le formulaire application (137 KB) doit être soumis par l’école pour chaque élève au Conseil scolaire francophone provincial.

Private candidates:

Students who are not currently attending high school (private candidates) must register with the Department of Education in order to write public exams. The private candidate registration form can be found above.

Adobe® Acrobat® Reader software can be used for viewing PDF documents. Download Acrobat® Reader for free.