Special Education Services: A Manual of Policies, Procedures and Guidelines

Note: Adjudication policy is reviewed on a regular basis. Current information is found online in the Handbook of Procedures’ chapter about examinations adjudications.

Commencing 2005, Electronic Exams may be available for students with special needs who meet the adjudication criteria. Up to date information is available for review online.

Adjudication is a process administered by the Examinations Unit of the Ministry of Education whereby the Provincial Board of Examiners gives consideration to a school principal's request for permission to modify the administration of Provincial Examinations. Modifications to the content of the examination papers are not considered. Adjudication is intended only for students who are able to achieve the intended learning outcomes for the course to be examined. Adjudication is required when the student is unable to write the examinations as they are usually administered due to either predictable or unpredictable circumstances.

A "Predictable Circumstance" is a situation in which a student who has historically been identified as a special needs student requires adaptation to the administration of the Provincial Examination in order to enable the student to take the examination.

An "Unpredictable Circumstance" is an unforeseen event such as an injury, illness or death in the family which adversely affects a student's ability to write a Provincial Examination.

If a student falls under either category of circumstances, the student's school principal may request that the Provincial Board of Examiners consider the case for adjudication.

In response to an adjudication request under the category of predictable circumstances, the Board of Examiners may decide to:

• Adapt the student's examination paper format (e.g., authorize the use of a special format examination - Braille, large print and/or tape). If a large print version of the examination is requested, the school will be asked to include a sample of the size and style of font. For students with hearing loss the instructions may, if necessary, be interpreted (e.g., English to Sign Language) for clarity.
• Adapt the student's means of recording (e.g., computers, Braille-writers, tape recorders, readers). For students who require adaptations to the means of recording, the Board of Examiners encourages the use of technology. The use of thesaurus or dictionary is not permitted. If a scribe is used, please ensure the transcription is verbatim.
• Adapt the setting of the examination (e.g., allow the student to write the examination in a segregated setting with appropriate invigilation). The invigilator should be a teacher who has not instructed the student in the subject being examined during the school year.
• Allow the teachers of students with visual impairments, hearing loss, physical disabilities and learning disabilities to be available to assist the invigilator with technical difficulties (e.g., equipment malfunction or problems with special format examinations) if requested by the invigilator.
• Change the length of the examination session (e.g., allow the student additional time to write the examination).
• Allow breaks during which the student is supervised.

It is anticipated that those students with special educational needs who, throughout their schooling, have required adapted testing situations, but who have not required modification of program learning descriptors or learning outcomes, will also require adapted administration procedures for Provincial Examinations. In these cases, since the substance of the program will not be changed, the adaptation of testing procedures will not in any way limit the student's opportunity to successfully complete the general requirements for graduation with a Dogwood Certificate.

For those students who require modification of expected learning outcomes, a certificate of school completion may be appropriate.

School districts must ensure that records are kept of the nature of the adaptations to students' examination procedures that have been made in the past. A summary of this information will be required to support requests for adjudication. The adaptations of the various testing situations must be described in each student's current Individual Education Plan.

Further information about the adjudication process is available from:

Co-ordinator, Adjudications
Examinations and Assessment Unit
Ministry of Education
Victoria , B.C. V8V 1X4
Phone: (250) 356-9386, Fax: (250) 3587-3682

References
Ministerial Order M205/95, Graduation Requirements Order
Handbook of Procedures: Grade 12 Provincial and Scholarship Examinations and Transcripts (Examinations Unit, Ministry of Education)

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