Ministry of Education
Glossary of Terms
- 1950 Program
Also known as the Adult Program, this is a graduation program for British Columbia adult students who wish to complete their secondary-school qualification by earning the British Columbia Adult Graduation Diploma, known colloquially as the "Adult Dogwood". This is the adult-student equivalent to the British Columbia Certificate of Graduation ("Dogwood"). It is granted by the Ministry of Education upon successful completion of the provincial adult graduation requirements. [more] - 2004 Program
See the Handbook of Procedures for the Graduation Program, which includes full details of the 2004 Graduation Program. - Aboriginal Student
A student who has self-identified as being of Aboriginal ancestry (First Nations: status and non-status, Metis and Inuit). Aboriginal ancestry and Status Indian living on reserve is indicated on the Student Data Collection Form 1701. For data collection purposes a student identified as Aboriginal will be considered Aboriginal from the 2003/2004 school year forward. Status Indians are Aboriginal people who meet the requirements of the Indian Act and who are registered under the Act. [more] - Active Cardholder (Library Survey)
A cardholder is considered active if s/he has used the card in the past 2 years. - Administrator
Includes Principals, Vice-Principals, and Directors of Instruction. - Adult Dogwood
See British Columbia Adult Graduation Diploma. - Adult Graduate
See Graduated Adult. - Adult Graduation Program
See 1950 Program. - Adult Program
See 1950 Program. - Adult Student
A student 20 years of age or older as of June 30 in the school year July 1 - June 30. [more] - Adult Graduation Diploma
See British Columbia Adult Graduation Diploma. - Aegrotat
A pass standing based on proof that the student was unable to write the examination owing to illness or special circumstances. The student's school mark is then considered to be the final mark for the course.
Aegrotats are included in data in the Provincial Required Examinations report, as no exam mark is necessary to obtain a final mark. They are not included in data in the Provincial Optional Examinations report, as no exam mark is available. - Alternate Programs
Programs that meet the special requirements of students who may be unable to adjust to the requirements of regular schools (for example timetables, schedules or traditional classroom environment). Does not include distributed learning programs or schools. - Alternative High School Completion
Certificates of high school level attainment that are alternatives to obtaining a British Columbia Certificate of Graduation include: British Columbia Adult Graduation Diploma, General Educational Development (GED) Secondary Equivalency Certificate, Adult Basic Education (ABE) Provincial Diploma, and Letters of Assessment. [more] - Apprenticeships
Students in Grades 10, 11, 12 and secondary ungraded who are reported in a BC K-12 Career Preparation – Apprenticeship Program. [more] - Average (Library Survey)
The population weighted average of the column values. The average is calculated by summing the product of the measure and population served over all libraries, and dividing this total by the total population served. - Average Age (Teacher Statistics)
Total age of all educators/teachers/administrators divided by the total number of educators/teachers/administrators based on September 30 of the reported year. - Average Class Size
The total number of students divided by the number of classes. - Average Educator Age
The total age of all educators divided by the total number of educators based on September 30 of the reported school year. - Average Educator Salary
Calculated by dividing total gross salary of all educators by the total number of educators based on September 30 of the reported school year. Gross educator salary includes all allowances but excludes benefits. - Average FTE Salary - base only (Teacher Statistics)
Includes base (gross) salary only. Calculated by dividing total gross salary of all educators/teachers/administrators by the total number of educators/teachers/administrators based on September 30 of the reported year. - Average FTE Salary - including all allowances (Teacher Statistics)
Includes base (gross) salary and all allowances but excludes benefits. Calculated by dividing total gross salary and all allowances of all educators/teachers/administrators by the total number of educators/teachers/administrators based on September 30 of the reported year. - Band (Indian)
An organizational structure that represents a particular body of First Nations people (as defined in the Indian Act). - Band School
See Federal Band School. - BC OneCard (Library Survey)
The BC OneCard program, funded through the Province of British Columbia, allows members of a participating BC library to borrow books from another participating BC library. BC OneCard members may return borrowed materials to any public library in BC. - Behaviour Disabilities (Performance Reporting Group)
Students with Special Needs who are working towards a certificate of graduation are grouped into four Performance Reporting groups: Gifted, Behaviour Disabilities, Learning Disabilities, and Sensory Disabilities. The Behaviour Disabilities group consists of the Special Education categories H (Severe Behaviour) and R (Moderate Behaviour Support/Mental Illness, formerly categories M and N). - Blended Final Mark
The blended final mark for a particular year is based on the combined value of a student's best course mark and best exam mark observed from all previous exam and course marks up to the end of that year. These best marks may have been earned in different school years than the reported blended final mark.
The blended final mark in the Provincial Required Examinations and Provincial Optional Examinations reports is equal to the blend of the exam mark and course mark provided in those reports. - Board of Education
A board of school trustees constituted under the School Act or a former Act. This is a local board or committee of trustees that oversees all public schools in the school district. It is commonly referred to as a "school board", although "Board of Education" is the term that is used in Ministry publications from 2007 onward. - British Columbia Adult Graduation Diploma
Granted by the Ministry of Education upon successful completion of the provincial adult graduation requirements. Sometimes referred to as the "Adult Dogwood Diploma". [more] - British Columbia Certificate of Graduation
Granted by the Ministry of Education to students who meet the British Columbia secondary school graduation requirements. Sometimes referred to as the "Dogwood Diploma" or "Dogwood". [more] - British Columbia School Completion Certificate
Granted by the Ministry, a School Completion Certificate is awarded to a student who has successfully completed the goals and objectives contained in his or her Individual Education Plan, in accordance with the requirements set out in Ministerial Order 205/95. Sometimes referred to as the "Evergreen Certificate" or "Evergreen". [more] - C- or Better (Pass)
A passing letter grade of A, B, C+, C, or C-. The lowest grade in this range, C-, is equivalent to a percent score of 50% to 59%.
See also C+ (Good) or Better and Letter Grade. - C+ (Good) or Better
A "good" letter grade of A, B, or C+. The lowest grade in this range, C+, is equivalent to a percent score of 67% to 72%.
See also C- or Better (Pass) and Letter Grade. - Capital Expenditure (Library Survey)
Capital expenditure is that which results in the acquisition of, or addition to, fixed assets. Capital expenditure may include purchase and preparation of building sites, buildings, extensions, furnishings and equipment. - Career Programs
Educational programs focusing on a career or career-related area of study, which combine related courses with a work experience component. Career programs include: Career Preparation; Co-operative Education; Secondary School Apprenticeship; or Career Technical Centre Programs. - CD-ROM (Library Survey)
A compact disc containing data (not music) that can be read by a computer. - Certificate held by Educators/Teachers/Administrators
Teaching qualifications attained by educators/teachers/administrators. Includes Basic, Letter of Permission, Professional, and Standard. - Certificate of Graduation
See British Columbia Certificate of Graduation and British Columbia Adult Graduation Diploma. - Challenge
A process that allows secondary schools to award credit to students who can demonstrate prior learning. Challenges are not included in data in the Provincial Required Examinations and Provincial Optional Examinations reports. - Circulation (Library Survey)
Units of library materials charged out for patron use irrespective of length of time items are on loan. Include renewals. - Class Size
The number of students taking the same course at the same time with the same instructor. - Community Librarian (Library Survey)
A person who has received the Public Library Services Branch Community Library Training Program certificate and who is working in a position that requires this qualification. - Completion Rate
See Six-Year Completion Rate. - Continuing Education Program
An education program offered by school districts, primarily for adults, leading to either secondary school completion or the upgrading of a current graduation certificate. - Core French
A language course offered at various grade levels to students. - Course Mark
The best mark of a student up to the point in time when a blended final mark is calculated, assigned by a teacher as a result of the student's course work. The best course mark is a component of the blended final mark. New blended final marks may be reported in later years (up to one best-in-year final mark), as a result of further course marks which increase the calculated blended final marks. - Data Symbols
0
The numeral zero (0) is used only for reporting a zero value (for example, a Grade 4 class in a school has 12 students, namely 12 girls and 0 boys).
-
A hyphen (-) is used in two situations:
1. The data are not available (for example, the Foundation Skills Assessment report provides information on a range of years that may include years “in the future”), so a hyphen is used.
2. The data describe an outcome (such as a percent or rate) where the underlying number of students or enrolments is zero (0). For example, consider a Grade 12 class that has no students enrolled in an English Language Learning (ELL) program. When reporting the percent of Grade 12 ELL students who achieved a passing grade in math, it is not appropriate to report any math outcomes for ELL students, so a hyphen is used.
Msk
When reporting data, the number or percentage must be suppressed (or "masked") if they are elements of a population that is one through nine. For example, 8 students in a school write the Japanese 12 exam. The results for these students are masked. However, if 15 students write the exam in the school, with 8 achieving a letter grade of C, the results are not masked (as the total population is greater than nine). Historical note: prior to October 2009, masking was applied to populations of one through four. [more]
A greyed-out cell is used when the category does not exist. For example, the Satisfaction Survey does not ask for the parent’s gender. Therefore, the cells in the report are greyed out for this question. - Deferral
A process whereby a principal grants a student permission to write a Provincial Examination at a future examination session. These are included in the data in both the Provincial Required Examinations and Provincial Optional Examinations reports. - Disqualification
A score of 0 is given for an examination as a result of student cheating. - Distance Education
See Distributed Learning. - Distributed Learning
A method of instruction that relies primarily on indirect communication between students and teachers, including internet or other electronic-based delivery, teleconferencing, correspondence. [more] - Distributed Learning School
A school or francophone school that offers instruction by means of distributed learning only. Historically referred to as Distance Education, electronic delivery, electronic programs or Distributed Electronic Learning, the main feature is that students learn at a distance from the school and teacher. Distributed Learning uses a combination of delivery methodologies, including computer-based, online, telecommunications and/or paper-based course material and instruction. [more] - District
See School District. - District Scholarship
Awarded by the school district to qualifying Grade 12 students who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents. - Dogwood Certificate/Diploma
See British Columbia Certificate of Graduation. - Educator
A teacher or administrator (vice-principal, principal, or director of instruction) having BC teacher certification. Educator populations are calculated by headcount. An educator is employed by a public school board in British Columbia. Educator excludes a person appointed by a board as superintendent of schools or assistant superintendent of schools. - Electronic Programs
See Distributed Learning. - Elementary Ungraded
Students who are taking courses at the Kindergarten to Grade 7 level and the school personnel do not consider the student to be in a specific grade. - Eligible (to graduate)
Any students who have enrolled in sufficient courses to meet the requirements to graduate during that school year, and are expected to graduate in that year.
The graduation program requirements have changed over time. Eligibility to graduate is dependent upon the student having met his or her current British Columbia provincial requirements for graduation, according to the requirements of the particular graduation program that he or she entered. Any student who graduates from a regular Grade 12 graduation program or the Adult Graduation Program is eligible to receive a certificate of graduation. Normally, a student graduates from the school where he or she completed the last course needed to meet graduation requirements. The school of graduation is responsible for distributing certificates to students. - Eligible Grade 12 Graduation Rate
A measure of Grade 12 students who, if they pass all courses in which they have enrolled as of September, will have met all requirements to graduate, and do graduate.
- ELL
See English Language Learning (ELL). - English as a Second Language (ESL)
See English Language Learning (ELL). - English Language Learning (ELL)
A program provided to students whose English language proficiency is assessed as being sufficiently different from standard English that they are identified as requiring specialized services to develop intellectually, to develop as a citizen and to achieve the expected learning outcomes of the provincial curriculum. This program was known as English as a Second Language (ESL) prior to January 2012. [more] - Enrolment
A record of a student reported to the Ministry as receiving an educational program. A student may be recorded and counted as an enrolment in more than one school. Enrolment counts include the records of all adults and school-age persons who are working towards graduation. Registered homeschooled children are not included. - Equivalency ("Q Course")
Courses taught outside the British Columbia school system that substantially match the learning outcomes of Ministry-Authorized or Board/Authority Authorized Grade 10, 11 or 12 courses eligible for credit through Equivalency.
Final marks derived through equivalency are not included in data in either the Provincial Required Examinations report or the Provincial Optional Examinations report, as credit does not require a provincial examination. - ESL
See English Language Learning (ELL). - Evergreen Certificate
See British Columbia School Completion Certificate. - Exam (Examination) Mark
The best mark of a student on a provincial examination up to the point in time when a blended final mark is calculated, based on one or more writes of a particular Provincial Examination subject in any school year. The best exam mark is a component of the blended final mark. New blended final marks may be reported in later years (up to one best-in-year final mark), as a result of further exam marks which increase the calculated blended final marks. - Facility Types
The facility type describes the type of program offered and the way in which it is delivered.
[more +] - Federal Band School
A federally-run and -funded school for Status Indian students who are living on a reserve or on Crown land. These schools are funded, administered, and staffed by the (federal) Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada. - Federation (Library Survey)
A federation is an agreement between two or more library boards related to the cooperative provision of library service. There are 6 library federations in British Columbia. For a list of federations and their member libraries, see the Library Federation website. - Final Course Mark
See Final Mark. - Final Mark
The final mark is based on the blend of a student's best course mark and best exam mark. These best marks may have been earned in different school years. Final marks may be greater than either the best exam marks or best course marks observed in the reported year. The final marks are usually derived from a blend of the best exam percent and the best course percent, using a 80/20 mix for Grades 10 and 11, and a 60/40 mix for Grade 12. (The sole exception is BC First Nations Studies 12, or FNS12, which alone of all Grade 12 examinable courses uses the 80/20 mix.) - First-Time Grade 12 Graduation Rate
A measure of students recorded as being in Grade 12 for the first time in September who then graduate in that same school year. - French Immersion Program
A more ambitious second-language program than Core French, French Immersion is designed to produce functionally bilingual students by using French as the language of instruction. Upon graduation, students will have acquired sufficient language skills to be able to pursue post-secondary studies or work in either official language. The program generally begins in Kindergarten (Early Immersion) or Grade 6 (Late Immersion), starting with 100% French instruction during the beginning years, gradually diminishing to 2 courses in Grade 12. [more] - FTE (Library Survey)
FTE (full time equivalent) is calculated on the basis of 1,820 hours per year. - Full-Time (Teacher Statistics)
Includes educators who work full-time in a school district. - Full-time Equivalent (FTE) Educators/Teachers/Administrators
A measure equivalent to the number of educators/teachers/administrators who work full-time in a school district. - Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Student
A measure indicating the proportion of full-time participation (full day, full week) in the education system, calculated by adding the FTE values of the enrolments. A half-day Kindergarten enrolment is considered a 0.5 FTE; full-day Kindergarten enrolments are recognized as full FTEs. A school-age enrolment in Grades 1-12, enrolled full-time, is considered one FTE. One FTE for an adult enrolment is equal to eight courses. One FTE for a secondary school-age enrolment is equal to four courses. - Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Teacher
A measure equivalent to the number of teachers who work full-time in a school. - GED
See General Educational Development (GED) Secondary School Equivalency Certificate. - General Educational Development (GED) Secondary School Equivalency Certificate
The General Educational Development (GED) is a set of five multiple choice tests in the areas of language arts writing, language arts reading, social studies, science and mathematics. The language arts writing test also requires the writing of an essay. The GED Secondary School Equivalency Certificate is awarded to examinees who successfully complete all five tests. For more information please see the Guidebook for Examinees.
The GED certificate is not the same as the "Dogwood Diploma" awarded to students who complete the graduation requirements of the British Columbia Secondary School Program. [more] - Gifted (Performance Reporting Group)
Students with Special Needs who are working towards a certificate of graduation are grouped into four Performance Reporting groups: Gifted, Behaviour Disabilities, Learning Disabilities, and Sensory Disabilities.
The Gifted reporting group consists solely of individuals who meet the criteria for Category P – Gifted, and who are enrolled in the Special Education Program for that category. - Grade Point Average (GPA)
A system in which letter grades are converted to a grade point scale. In the scale used by the Ministry of Education, A = 4, B = 3, C+ = 2.5, C = 2, and C- = 1. - Grade Range
Schools are organized to provide educational opportunities for students in specific grades or grade ranges. These grade ranges are: Elementary (K-7, EU); Elementary - Junior Secondary (K-10, EU, SU); Elementary - Secondary (K-12, EU, SU); Junior Secondary (8-10, SU); Middle School (6-9); Secondary (8-12, SU); and Senior Secondary (11, 12, SU). Note: EU = Elementary Ungraded, SU = Secondary Ungraded. - Grade-to-Grade Transition Rate
The percentage of students who enter a grade for the first time from a lower grade and make the transition to a higher grade anywhere in the British Columbia school system in the next school year. - Graduate
A student who has achieved a BC Certificate of Graduation. - Graduate Transition
Students who have graduated and moved beyond secondary education (for example, to post-secondary study, employment, travel, or other activities). - Graduated Adult
An adult student who has either met the general requirements for graduation in British Columbia or has completed the requirements for graduation from a secondary school or high school in another jurisdiction. - Graduation
A Certificate of Graduation is awarded by the Ministry of Education upon successful completion of the British Columbia Provincial Graduation Requirements. [more] - Graduation Completion Rate
See Six-Year Completion Rate. - Graduation Program
Currently, British Columbia's secondary school students begin working on their graduation requirements in Grade 10. In order to graduate, they must complete specified courses and write at least five provincial exams under the specific graduation program in which they enrolled when entering Grade 10. Students have choice and flexibility in how they meet the remaining requirements.
Historical note: in all programs previous to the 2004 Program, the graduation requirements were based on courses in Grades 11 and 12.
See also 1950 Program and 2004 Program. - Graduation Rate
See Eligible Grade 12 Graduation Rate and First-Time Grade 12 Graduation Rate. - Headcount
A count of unique individuals. - Headcount (Students)
The number of individual/unique students (as opposed to full-time equivalents) enrolled by September 30 in a district, school, grade, program, or course. Students include all school-aged students (5-19 years) and all adult students working towards graduation. - Home Language
The home language identifies what primary language is normally spoken in the home. If more than one language is normally spoken in the home, only the language that is spoken most often is reported. This information is taken from Form 1701. - Homeschooled (Children)
Children may be taught at home without the supervision of a certified teacher, but are required to be registered with a public, francophone, distributed learning, or independent school. [more] - IEP
See Individual Education Plan (IEP). - Independent School
A school that is maintained and operated in British Columbia by an authority that provides an educational program to 10 or more school-aged students as outlined in the Independent School Act. All independent schools must hold a valid Certificate of Group Classification issued by the Inspector of Independent Schools.
Classification of independent schools is based on the school's ability to meet the requirements for Group Classifications in the Independent School Act.
Group 1 - funded at 50% of the per-student operating grant of the district in which the school resides
Group 2 - funded at 35% of the per-student operating grant of the district in which the school resides
Group 3 - unfunded. Note: All independent schools are classified as Group 3 for the first year that they apply for Ministry certification
Group 4 - unfunded. Note: Must comply with bonding requirements
[more] - Independent School Act
The Independent School Act is the main piece of legislation guiding the education system of independent schools in British Columbia. For the public school system, its legislative counterpart is the School Act. [more] - Individual Education Plan (IEP)
A written plan, developed for a student, which describes the program modifications and/or adaptations for the student and the services that are to be provided. It serves as a tool for collaborative planning among the school, the parents, the student (where appropriate) and, as necessary, school district personnel, other ministries and/or community agencies. - Interlibrary Loan (Library Survey)
The loan of an item from the collection of one library or the supply of a photocopy of an item to another library. Interlibrary loan does not include loans between branches of the same library system. - Key Information (Summary of Key Information)
A collection of the most commonly used statistics about the BC education system published annually in one report. [more] - Learning Disabilities (Performance Reporting Group)
Students with Special Needs who are working towards a certificate of graduation are grouped into four Performance Reporting groups: Gifted, Behaviour Disabilities, Learning Disabilities, and Sensory Disabilities. The Learning Disabilities group consists of Special Education category Q (Learning Disability, formerly category J). - Letter Grade
Equivalent to the following ranges of percent scores:
"A" = 86% to 100%
"B" = 73% to 85%
"C+" = 67% to 72%
"C" = 60% to 66%
"C-" = 50% to 59%
"F" = below 50% [more] - Library Technician (Library Survey)
A person holding a technical certificate or diploma from an accredited library technician program and who is working in a position that requires this qualification. - LLB (Library Survey)
Libraries and Literacy Branch, Ministry of Education. - Masking
See Data Symbols. - Msk
See Data Symbols. - Municipal Library (Library Survey)
A public library, established under Part 2 of the Library Act, that is managed by a corporate library board appointed by the municipal council and supported from the municipality's annual budget. - N/A
Not applicable. - na (Library Survey)
Not applicable. - nd (Library Survey)
No data available. - Non-Resident Cardholder (Library Survey)
A library cardholder who does not live or pay taxes within the library service area. Non-residents may be charged a fee for full library service and borrowing privileges. A non-resident cardholder is not a federation or BC OneCard cardholder. - Optional Examination
For students in the 2004 Graduation Program from school years 2004/2005 through 2010/2011, all Grade 12 exams were optional except for the Language Arts 12 and BC First Nations Studies 12 exams. Students, not their school, made the choice to write optional exams. If students chose to write these exams, results counted for 40 percent of the blended final mark. Students opting out of these exams received a final mark based only on their course work. - Outmigration
The estimated number of students, out of the original cohort, who left British Columbia over the six-year completion rate window. This estimate is based on analyzing the outmigration patterns of students in the earlier grades (Grades 2 through 4), calculated anew for each year of the cohort. For more information, see Six-Year Completion Rate. - Part-Time (Teacher Statistics)
Includes educators who work part-time in a school district. Educators who work in more than one school district are counted in each school district that they are employed. - Participation Rate (Provincial Examinations)
The number of students who wrote the examination at least once in the school year and are in the same grade as the indicated exam grade level divided by the total number of students who are in the same grade as the indicated exam grade level. - Pass Rate
The number of students who receive a passing letter grade of A, B, C+, C, or C- as their exam mark in a particular year, divided by the number of students who receive a letter grade of A through F as their exam mark in that year. Includes students from all grades who obtained marks in the course of the indicated grade level. This is also known as the "success rate". - Passport to Education
Recognizes and rewards student achievement in Grades 10 to 12 in a broad range of academic and non-academic areas according to guidelines set out by the Ministry of Education. Passport awards are used to further education through post-secondary education or job training. They function as cash credits that can be applied towards these programs. [more] - Performance Reporting Groups
See Special Needs Performance Reporting Groups. - Professional Librarian (Library Survey)
A person holding a master’s degree (or its historical antecedent) from a library education program accredited by the American Library Association or its equivalent and who is working in a position that requires this qualification. - Program (Library Survey)
Any planned event which introduces those attending to any of the broad range of library services or activities, or which directly provides information through the presentation of talks, films, dramas, etc. Programs need not take place in the library, but the library must be the primary contributor of resources in the planning and presentation. Include book talks, tours, but do not include library exhibits, contests run by the library, or library participation in parades or fairs. Do not include meetings sponsored by other groups using library meeting rooms. - Provincial and District Scholarship Awards
Grade 12 students completing secondary school may be eligible for scholarships and awards from the Ministry of Education. These monies can be used to assist in tuition for attendance at designated post-secondary institutions. [more] - Provincial Average (Library Survey)
The population weighted average of the column values. The provincial average is calculated by summing the product of the measure and population served over all libraries, and dividing this total by the total population served. - Provincial Examinations
The BC provincial examinations measure student performance in selected Grade 10, 11 and 12 academic courses. Provincial examinations are currently held in November, January, April, June and August. [more] - Provincial Resource Programs (PRP)
Provincial Resource Programs (PRP) are designed for students, who, for health or other reasons, cannot attend a regular school. These programs are intended to assist districts to meet the educational needs of students in exceptional circumstances. Students are in long-term PRPs if they are in the program for longer than three months. - Provincial Scholarships
Awarded by the Ministry of Education to qualifying Grade 12 students who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents, and have fulfilled graduation requirements. See also Provincial and District Scholarship Awards. - Public Library Association (Library Survey)
A public library, continued under Part 4 of the Library Act, that is managed by a library board elected by members of the Association. - Public School
A body of students, teachers, other staff, and facilities organized as a unit for educational purposes under the supervision of an administrative officer and administered by a district school board. Types of public schools include: Standard schools; short-term and long-term Provincial Resource Programs; Youth Custody/Residential Attendance Centers; District Continuing Education Centers; Alternate Program Schools, Distributed Learning Schools. Individual schools can only be associated with one District. A School does not include Federal Band schools, offshore schools offering BC educational programs, or Yukon schools.
Public school facility types are defined in the Form 1601 instructions. Public school facility types are determined by program (and, in some cases, physical location). For more information, see Facility Types. - Reference Transaction (Library Survey)
A request made by a library user that involves the knowledge, use, recommendation, interpretation or instruction in the use of one or more information sources or bibliographic tools by a member of the library staff. Include requests made in person, by telephone, by regular mail or by FAX. Report email reference requests under "Electronic Reference Transactions." - Regional Library District (Library Survey)
A public library, established under Part 3 of the Library Act, that is managed by a library board, composed of representatives of municipal councils and regional district boards, that has the authority to apportion and charge the cost of library service to its member municipalities and regional districts. - Regular Graduate
A student who has met the British Columbia Graduation Requirements. - Regular Honours Graduate
A regular graduate who achieves a grade point average (GPA) of greater than 3.0. [more] - Required Examination
Some courses in Grades 10, 11 or 12 have a mandatory provincial examination component used to calculated the blended final mark. The provincial examination is required to meet BC graduation requirements. The Provincial Required Examinations report provides data for these courses. - Resident (Library Survey)
A person who lives within the library’s service area as defined for provincial operating grant purposes. - Restricted Circulation Talking Book (Library Survey)
A talking book that may only be lent to persons with a disability which prevents them from reading printed books. - Rewrite
A student may write a Provincial Examination more than once in an attempt to improve the blended final mark recorded on the student's transcript. A rewrite in a later year may result in a higher blended final mark calculated in that year, and both the original and revised blended final marks are provided in the Provincial Required Examinations and Provincial Optional Examinations reports, for the respective years when those were available. - Satisfaction Survey
The Satisfaction Survey, administered annually as part of the accountability cycle, gathers opinions from students, parents/guardians, and school staff on achievement, human and social development, and safety. It is intended to provide a source of information to identify and celebrate current strengths, as well as to determine where schools may need to focus improvement. The survey has been kept brief and is understood as a starting point for more detailed examination and dialogue within schools. Some of the topic areas covered by the Satisfaction Survey include: Achievement, School climate, Healthy living, and Safety. [more] - School
An organization having at least one teacher and administrator, which provides educational programs to students. - School Act
The School Act is the main piece of legislation guiding public education in British Columbia. For the independent school system, its legislative counterpart is the Independent School Act. [more] - School Authority
Independent schools are organized by school authority rather than by school district. In many cases, there is one school per authority. When the independent school is a Catholic school, the school authority is usually the archdiocese for that area. - School Board
See Board of Education. - School Completion Certificate
See British Columbia School Completion Certificate. - School Completion Rate
See Six-Year Completion Rate. - School Course Mark
See Course Mark. - School District
A geographic area in British Columbia constituted as a district under the School Act. There are currently 59 school districts and one Francophone Education Authority. - School Facility
A school building or collection of buildings used for purposes of providing an educational program for students. - School of Attribution
The school ("Transcripts and Examinations System home school") to which a blended final mark and its associated best exam and best course mark is assigned, at the time the blended final mark is calculated.
Note: The exam mark or course mark provided in the Provincial Required Examinations and Provincial Optional Examinations reports (namely, the mark that was used to calculate the reported blended final mark) may not originally have been associated with the same school to which the blended final mark is assigned, as those marks are derived from examination of all historical exam and course marks for the student (which may have been a result of instruction in a different school). In those reports, those best marks are reassigned to the same school recorded with the blended final mark. - School Program
An organization having at least one teacher and administrator, which provides educational programs to students. - School Year
The school year includes a portion of two regular calendar years. It is the 12-month period commencing on July 1 and ending the following June 30. - School-age
Five to nineteen years of age inclusive. - Secondary Ungraded
Students who are taking courses at the Grade 8-12 level and the school personnel do not consider the student to be in a specific grade. - Sensory Disabilities (Performance Reporting Group)
Students with Special Needs who are working towards a certificate of graduation are grouped into four Performance Reporting groups: Gifted, Behaviour Disabilities, Learning Disabilities, and Sensory Disabilities. The Sensory Disabilities group consists of the Special Education categories E (Visual Impairment) and F (Deaf or Hard of Hearing). - Service Outlet (Library Survey)
A service outlet includes a main library, branch library or bookmobile (a travelling branch library) at which a direct service for users is provided in physically self-contained quarters. Public service outlets are sometimes also referred to as service points. - Six-Year Completion Rate
The proportion of students who graduate, with a British Columbia Certificate of Graduation or British Columbia Adult Graduation Diploma, within six years from the first time they enrol in Grade 8, adjusted for migration in and out of British Columbia.
The Six-Year Completion Rate is calculated by using the percentage of students who graduate within six years from the time they enrol in Grade 8, adjusted for migration in and out of BC. A six-year rate provides students with an extra year beyond the five years required to move through Grades 8-12.
[more +] - Special Education Categories
See Special Needs Categories. - Special Education Program
A supplemental program provided by schools to assist students, identified as having “special requirements”, in achieving a Certificate of Graduation and/or other outcomes as specified in the student’s Individual Education Plan (IEP). [more] - Special Needs, students with
Students who have a disability of an intellectual, physical, sensory, emotional or behavioural nature, have a learning disability or have exceptional gifts or talents. - Special Needs Categories
Category A – Physically Dependent
Category B – Deafblind
Category C – Moderate to Profound Intellectual Disability
Category D – Physical Disability / Chronic Health Impairment
Category E – Visual Impairment
Category F – Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Category G – Autism Spectrum Disorder
Category H – Intensive Behaviour Interventions / Serious Mental Illness
Category K – Mild Intellectual Disability
Category P – Gifted
Category Q – Learning Disability (formerly Category J)
Category R – Moderate Behaviour Support / Mental Illness (formerly Categories M and N)
[more] - Special Needs Performance Reporting Groups
When reporting the performance of students with special needs, only four groupings are reported. These groupings reflect those who are working towards a Certificate of Graduation and for whom the Ministry’s student achievement measures are most meaningful. These are: - Special Needs Program
See Special Education Program. - Student
A school-aged or adult individual enrolled in a BC school. Student populations are calculated by headcount. Registered homeschooled children are not included as students. - Student Cohort
A group of students who share particular characteristics and who are tracked over a period of time. - Students Assigned Blended Final Mark
The number of students who were assigned a new or revised blended final mark in the district year. Includes students from all grades who obtained a blended final mark in the subject. - Subject
In the Provincial Required Examinations and Provincial Optional Examinations reports, "Subject" includes both French and English variants of equivalent curricula, in combination. For example, the subject Principles of Mathematics contains both the English and French variants of the curriculum - respectively, Principles of Mathematics 10 and Principes de mathématiques 10. - Success Rate
See Pass Rate. - Teacher
An individual who has a valid BC teaching certificate and is employed by a school board to provide an educational program to students or to administer or supervise the provision of an educational program to students. Includes: Regular Classroom Teachers, Supervisors of Instruction, Teacher Consultants, Co-ordinators, Helping Teachers, Other Instructional Support, Testing & Assessment – Professional Staff, Department Heads, and Teachers who have administration duty but are not Department Heads. Teachers may be employed in more than one district; therefore, the total number of teachers reported at the provincial level may exceed the actual number of teachers in the province. Teacher populations are calculated by headcount. - Title (Library Survey)
Publication which forms a separate bibliographic whole, whether issued in one or several volumes or parts. A 25-volume encyclopedia would be one title with 25 volumes. A 25-copy holding of a first edition novel would be one title and 25 volumes. - Transition
See Grade-to-Grade Transition Rate and Graduate Transition. - Volume (Library Survey)
A single physical unit of library material distinguished from other physical units by a separate binding, encasement or other clear distinction. Include books, government documents, maps, and so forth. - Web Visit (Library Survey)
A series of page requests from the same computer with a time of no more than 30 minutes between each page request. A session is defined as a series of page requests from the same uniquely identified client with a time of no more than 30 minutes and no requests for pages from other domains intervening between page requests. In other words, a session ends when someone goes to another site, or 30 minutes elapse between pageviews, whichever comes first. A visit ends only after a 30-minute time delay. If someone leaves a site, then returns within 30 minutes, this will count as one visit but two sessions. - Writer
A writer is any person who has written either one or more provincial examinations or an FSA assessment. - Years of Experience (Teacher Statistics)
The number of years working as an educator/teacher/administrator. - Youth Custody Facilities
Where applicable, the ministry reports performance of students in youth custody facilities where they may have been sent either by court order, or during probation.
Sensory Disabilities (Categories E and F)
Learning Disabilities (Category Q)
Behaviour Disabilities (Categories H and R)
Gifted (Category P)
[more]
Top