Reporting on K-12 Glossary of Terms

  • #
    • 1950 Program

    • 2004 Program

      Note: The 2004 Graduation Program closed as of June 30, 2020.

      This is the 80-credit, credit-based graduation program, which came into effect for those who entered Grade 10 on or after July 1, 2004. The B.C. Certificate of Graduation or "Dogwood Diploma" is awarded to students who successfully complete the program requirements.

  • A
    • Aboriginal Education Programs and Services

      Aboriginal Education programs and services are intended to support the success of Aboriginal Students preferably through the implementation of an Aboriginal Education Enhancement Agreement.

      According to Form 1701 instructions, students may be claimed for funding under one or more of the following three categories:

      Aboriginal Language and Culture Programs

      Aboriginal Support Services

      Other Approved Aboriginal Programs

    • Aboriginal Language and Culture Programs

      One of three categories of Aboriginal Education Programs and Services offered by a school under which a student may be claimed for targeted funding. There must be evidence that students are receiving a program leading to knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal language and/or culture.

    • Aboriginal Report - How Are We Doing

      Throughout each school year the Ministry collects student data, some of which is used to monitor outcomes for self-identified Indigenous students in the BC public school system. The data are published in the form of the annual How Are We Doing? (HAWD) Report.

      The report has been published since 1999 and is used by the First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC), Nations, and School Boards. It includes a provincial summary report, as well as 60 school district reports: https://studentsuccess.gov.bc.ca/.

      Data elements include the Count of Students, Foundation Skills Assessment results, Graduation Assessments & Course Marks, Completion Rate, Post-Secondary Transitions and Student Learning Survey results.

      * Updating terminology from Aboriginal to Indigenous requires changes to Ministry data collection processes that will ensure standardized wording from collection onwards. This work is underway, and in the interim, Tripartite partners agreed to deliberately retain the older terminology.
    • Aboriginal Student

      A student who has voluntarily self-identified as being of Aboriginal ancestry. This includes First Nation (both Status and non-Status), on reserve and off reserve, Inuit and Métis students. Additional funding is available to boards of education for self-identified students with aboriginal ancestry where Aboriginal Education Programs and Services are provided.

    • Aboriginal Support Services

      One of three categories of Aboriginal Education Programs and Services under which a student may be claimed for targeted funding. There must be evidence that students are receiving a program intended to assist Aboriginal students to achieve success in school by providing support services. Services should be provided by personnel who are familiar with and sensitive to, the values, beliefs and needs of the Aboriginal community from which the student comes.

    • Administrator

      A person who has a valid British Columbia teaching certificate and is employed by a school board or authority to provide administrative duty in schools. Includes Principals, Vice-Principals, and Directors of Instruction.

    • Adult Dogwood

    • Adult Graduation Diploma

    • Adult Graduation Program

    • Adult Student

      A student 20 years of age or older as of June 30 in the School Year.

    • Aegrotat

      Applies to courses with required Graduation Program examinations only. The student has been granted a pass standing that is based on certification that they were unable to write the exam because of illness or special circumstances. The student's school Course Mark stands as the final percentage.

    • Alternate School

      Schools whose programs meet the needs of students who may be unable to adjust to the requirements of regular schools (timetables, schedules, traditional classroom environment). Programs must be offered in separate facilities.

      Alternate School facility types are only found under the jurisdiction of public boards of education.

    • Authority School

      Authority school generally represents the school reporting the highest Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) count for a student. This is particularly important when a student is enrolled in more than one school (e.g. a standard school and a distributed learning school) and there is a need to determine the most complete information or ensure a student is counted only once in any reporting or analysis.

    • 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

      Total number of students divided by the weighted number of classes in the given school.

      For more information on how the averages are calculated in the source system, see the Class Size Average Calculation spreadsheet.

    • Average Educator Age

      The total age of all educators divided by the total number of educators based on September 30 of the reported 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 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.

  • B
    • Behaviour Disabilities

      The Behaviour Disabilities grouping for Special Needs (in performance-oriented reports) consists of the Special Needs Categories H (Severe Behaviour) and R (Moderate Behaviour Support/Mental Illness).

    • Blended Final Mark

    • Board of Education

      A board of school trustees constituted under this School Act or a former Act. This is a local board or committee of trustees that oversees all public schools in the school district.

    • British Columbia Adult Graduation Diploma ("Adult Dogwood")

      A graduation diploma for adult learners (18 and older) who have completed the requirements of the Adult Graduation Program.

    • British Columbia Certificate of Graduation ("Dogwood")

      The certificate or "Dogwood Diploma" issued upon successful completion of the provincial graduation requirements.

    • British Columbia School Completion Certificate ("Evergreen")

      A certificate that recognizes the accomplishments of students with special needs and an Individual Education Plan (IEP), who have met the goals of their education program, other than graduation (and not all students with special needs should be in an Evergreen program). The Evergreen is not a graduation credential; students who receive an Evergreen have not graduated.

      The student does not have to be in Grade 12 to receive their documentation; Grades 8 to 12, inclusive, are valid grades. All completed Grade 10, 11 and 12 courses should be reported for these students. For many students this will mean a mixture of credit and non-credit courses. A final percentage and letter grade must be reported for each course.

      A student can receive both a British Columbia Certificate of Graduation ("Dogwood") and a School Completion Certificate.

  • C
    • C+ (Good) or Better

      A 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 the glossary entries C- or Better (Pass) and Letter Grade.
    • 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%.
    • Career Programs

      Educational programs focusing on a career or career-related area of study that combine related courses with a work experience component. Career programs include: Career Preparation; Co-operative Education; Youth WORK in Trades; or Career Technical or Youth TRAIN in Trades.
    • Certificate held by Educators/Teachers/Administrators

      Teaching qualifications attained by educators/teachers/administrators. Includes Basic, Letter of Permission, Professional, and Standard.

    • Challenge

      Receipt of credit for undocumented prior learning for Ministry-Authorized or Board Authority Authorized (BAA) courses Grade 10, 11 or 12 courses. Districts assess the relevant knowledge and skills students have gained elsewhere through a challenge assessment process.

    • Class

      A group of students scheduled to be together at least twice a week with a teacher for the purposes of engaging in an educational program.

      Note that there can be considerable variation in how education is delivered in regular schools across the province, so this simple view may not always fit every situation.

    • Completion Rate

      The proportion of students who graduate (with either the British Columbia Certificate of Graduation ("Dogwood") or the British Columbia Adult Graduation Diploma ("Adult Dogwood")) within a given number of years from the first time they enrol in Grade 8, adjusted for Outmigration. The completion rate model is only calculated at the district and Province level and is not valid at the school level.

      There are four completion rate models: the 5-, 6-, 7-, and 8-year models. Each model represents the potential number of years it may take a student to graduate. The reported measure is the Six-Year Completion Rate.

      For more details, please see the Friendly Guide to the Completion Rate.

    • Continuing Education School

      Schools offering adult education programs (students aged 16 and older as of July 1 in the current school year can enroll) leading to a high school completion or, in the case of school aged graduates, upgrading of a current certificate. Typically, programs are offered at non-traditional school hours (i.e., the evening).

      To be reported in a Continuing Education school facility type, students must be enrolled in a course offered by the Continuing Education school. Instruction must be provided by certified staff whose FTE position is assigned to the Continuing Education school. Students in a face to face setting must be in a classroom consisting of Continuing Education students only.

      Continuing Education School facility types are only found under the jurisdiction of public boards of education.

    • Core French

      Core French is a second-language program for Grades 5 to 12, designed to enable students to begin to understand and communicate in French, as well as to experience francophone cultures. French is studied as a subject rather than as a language of instruction.

      The Language Education Policy mentions that ‘All students must take a second language as part of the curriculum in Grades 5 to 8’ and that it is up to school districts to ensure there is continuity of instruction in the same language for a student in Grades 5 to 8. There is no mention on the minimum required instruction time in this policy. The Ministry does not have a specific requirement for the number of instructional minutes for second language learning. However, some districts may choose to develop their own policies around this.  

      Core French is usually between one and three hours (60 to 180 minutes) of instruction per week, depending on the school district’s policies. There is a Core French Grant available to provide supplemental funding needed to deliver Core French programmings in participating school districts where the minimum instructional time of 4% is met.

      According to instructions for the 1701 form:

      To be reported in Core French, students must be receiving French language instruction for the required minimum amounts of time:

      • Grades K-3: 4%

      • Grades 4-7: 5.3%

      • Grades 8-12: 12.5%

    • Course Mark

      The result achieved by student, as assigned by the teacher at the school level, in a particular course.

  • D
    • Distributed Learning School

      Schools that operate under agreements with the Ministry to offer instruction to students by means of distributed learning only. Distributed learning is defined in legislation (as of 2006) as a method of instruction that relies primarily on indirect communication between students and teachers, including Internet or other electronic-based delivery, teleconferencing, or correspondence.

      A Distributed Learning School is identified with a unique ministry school code (Mincode).

    • District

    • District Online Learning School (DOLS)

      DOLS is a local online learning school in a school district
      or independent school authority area.
    • District Scholarship

      Awarded by the District to qualifying Grade 12 students who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents.

    • Dual Dogwood

      Refers to cases where both a British Columbia Certificate of Graduation ("Dogwood Diploma") and a Diplôme de fin d'études secondaires en Colombie Britannique ("French Dogwood Diploma") have been awarded to either a Programme francophone or French Immersion program student.

  • E
    • Early French Immersion

      A program where instruction to students (in some subject areas) is offered in the French language. The program is normally offered to students whose first language is not French. French Immersion programs must parallel the regular English program in structure and content. Early French Immersion programs typically begin in Kindergarten or Grade 1.

    • Economic Family (Census)

      Economic family refers to a group of two or more persons who live in the same dwelling and are related to each other by blood, marriage, common-law union, adoption or a foster relationship.

      By definition, all persons who are members of a census family are also members of an economic family. Examples of the broader concept of economic family include the following: two co-resident census families who are related to one another are considered one economic family; co-resident siblings who are not members of a census family are considered as one economic family; and, nieces or nephews living with aunts or uncles are considered one economic family.

    • 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.

    • Elementary Ungraded (EU)

      Students who are taking courses at the Kindergarten to Grade 7 level and the school personnel do not consider them to be in a specific grade.

    • Eligible (to graduate)

      A student who has enrolled in sufficient courses to meet Graduation requirements and are expected to graduate in that year.

      Eligible to graduate reporting only includes Dogwood (BC Secondary Graduation Diploma), and does not include Adult Dogwood (BC Adult Graduation Diploma) or Evergeen (BC School Completion Certificate).

      Graduation Program requirements have changed over time. Eligibility to graduate is dependent upon the student having met the current British Columbia provincial requirements of the applicable graduation program.
    • Eligible Grade 12 Graduation Rate

      The proportion of eligible to graduate Grade 12 students who graduated in that school year.

      Eligible to graduate reporting only includes Dogwood (BC Secondary Graduation Diploma), and does not include Adult Dogwood (BC Adult Graduation Diploma) or Evergeen (BC School Completion Certificate).

      The source is TRAX and the code uses the TRAX school year, which includes the period called "from October to September". This is the twelve month period commencing on September 30 and ending the following September 29, so that the September 30 collection of the calendar year can be included in that TRAX school year.

    • English Language Learning (ELL)

      Supports and services that enable students to develop their language and literacy skills to achieve the expected learning outcomes of the provincial curriculum.

      Boards of Education that report students as receiving ELL support services to the Ministry of Education, meeting all of the requirements as specified on the Form 1701 Instructions, may qualify for ELL funding. Students enrolled with Conseil scolaire francophone may also be reported under this category if they are receiving French Language Learning (FLL) or Apprentissage de la Langue Anglaise (ALA) supports and all the requirements are met. Support services for English as a Second Dialect (ESD) are also recognised as part of ELL support services.

      The program was known as English as a Second Language (ESL) until January 2012.

      Independent schools don’t receive funding for ELL students.
    • Enrolment

      A record of a student, reported to the Ministry, entering into an educational program offered by a BC Board of Education, Francophone Education Authority or BC certified Independent School (including Offshore Schools).

      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 enrolled in the BC K-12 system. Registered homeschooled children are not considered an enrolment.

    • Equivalency

      Recognizes documented learning from outside the regular British Columbia school system that the local school district deems equivalent to the learning outcomes of a Ministry-Developed or Board Authority Authorized (BAA) courses Grade 10, 11 or 12 course. “Deems equivalent” means a match of approximately 80% of the prescribed learning outcomes.

      Where the Ministry has not reviewed courses for equivalency, school districts have the authority to do so.

      See more on Equivalency.

    • ESL

    • Evergreen Certificate

    • Examination (Exam) Mark

      The result achieved by a student on a Provincial Examination.

      Note: Provincial exams were discontinued after the 2017/2018 school year.

  • F
    • Facility Type

      The facility type describes the general programs delivered or population served by a school, as defined in Ministry of Education school data collections Form 1601.

      The following are the current facility types collected through Form 1601:
      • Standard (regular) Schools (includes the public and independent standard school facility type)
      • Short Term Provincial Resource Programs
      • Long Term Provincial Resource Programs
      • Youth Custody/Residential Attendance Centres
      • Continuing Education Schools
      • Alternate Program Schools
      • Ministry-Approved Online Learning Schools

      Additionally, summer schools are also recognized under Facility Type columns in the EDW. See Summer School.

    • Final Mark

      In the EDW, refers to a final mark that a student receives for a grade 10, 11 or 12 course that includes results from any Provincial Examinations, where available.

      Provincial exam results are blended with the school/classroom mark to generate final course marks. Weightings are according to specifications in the Handbook of Procedures for the Graduation Program for the school year in which the activity occurs. Best marks from course or exam results may be used, even if earned in different school years. See Mix and Match.

      Note: Provincial exams were discontinued after the 2017/2018 school year.
    • First Nations School

      First Nations Schools are operated under the authority of a First Nation. In BC, First Nations and their schools are supported by the First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC) and the First Nations Schools Association (FNSA).

      Regarding data collection, there are two ‘groupings’ of First Nations schools:

      1) Those First Nations schools that also choose to become registered as an Independent School with the BC Ministry of Education, in accordance with the Independent School Act - most often for funding or certificate granting purposes.

      2) Those First Nations schools that are outside the Province’s jurisdiction (i.e. Federal), but for which data has been collected by the Ministry based on their prior registration as an Independent School or for operational purposes related to that school.

    • First Time Grade 12 Graduation Rate

      A measure of the students who are recorded as being in Grade 12 for the first time in September and who then graduate in that same school year.

    • Five-Year Completion Rate

      The proportion of students who graduate, with a British Columbia Certificate of Graduation ("Dogwood") or a British Columbia Adult Graduation Diploma ("Adult Dogwood"), within five years from the first time they enrol in Grade 8, adjusted for migration in and out of British Columbia. Generally, five years are required to move through Grades 8-12.

      Five-year completion rates are not produced at the school level, as outmigration adjustments (to account for students leaving the province) cannot be estimated from Ministry data. The district in which a student last attended school in Years 1 through 5 is assigned to the district cohort from which the Five-Year Completion Rate is determined.

      For a more information, see Completion Rate or the Friendly Guide to the Completion Rate.
    • Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA)

      The Foundation Skills Assessment is an annual province-wide assessment of all B.C. students’ academic skills in grades 4 and 7, and provides parents, teachers, schools, school districts and the Ministry of Education with important information on how well students are progressing in the foundation skills of Literacy (composed of separate reading and writing components until the 2021/2022 school year) and Numeracy.

    • French Immersion

      Includes Early French Immersion and Late French Immersion programs.

      Students in the French Immersion program typically receive the following amount of instruction in French:

      K – 2/3: 100%

      3/4 – 7: 80 %

      8 – 10: 50-75%

      12: No less than 25%

    • French Language Programs

    • Full-Time (Teacher Statistics)

      Includes educators who work full-time in a school district.

    • Full-Time Equivalent (FTE)

      The proportion of 'full time' that the student is considered to be. A value of 1.0 indicates full-time enrolment.

      • Kindergarten students: Since 2011/12, all Kindergarten students are attending full-day and are funded at 1.0 FTE (full-time equivalent). (See Form 1701 Instructions for additional information.)
      • Elementary students in Grades 1 to 7: Students in these grades are funded as 1.0 FTE per school year.
      • Secondary students in Grades 10 to 12 FTE: Calculated based on each eligible full course (four credits) funded as 0.125 FTE (see Form 1701 Instructions for exceptions). For students enrolled in Online Learning or Alternate schools, refer to the Online Learning Funding policy and the Alternate Education School Program Policy. For adult students refer to the Adult Funding Policy.
    • Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Teacher

      A measure indicating the proportion of a full-time job (full day, full week) that is worked by an individual teacher in a school.

  • G
    • Gifted

      Students who meet the criteria for and are enrolled in the Special Needs Category P – Gifted, in accordance with the Special Education Services: Manual of Policies, Procedures, and Guidelines.

    • 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.

    • Grade 10 Literacy Assessment

      The Grade 10 Literacy Assessment is a provincial assessment that assesses student proficiency in literacy. It is a graduation requirement and students typically take the assessment in their Grade 10 year.

      The Grade 10 Literacy Assessment assesses student ability to use critical thinking and analysis to make meaning from a diverse array of texts. It also assesses the ability of students to communicate their ideas. The Grade 10 Literacy Assessment is not based on a particular course, but on learning across multiple subjects, from kindergarten to Grade 10.

    • Grade 10 Numeracy Assessment

      The Grade 10 Numeracy Assessment is a provincial assessment that assesses student proficiency in numeracy. It is a graduation requirement and students take the assessment in their Grade 10 year.

      The Grade 10 Numeracy Assessment focuses on the application of mathematical concepts learned across multiple subjects from kindergarten to Grade 10. It requires students to solve problems by using five numeracy processes (different ways of thinking and working): interpret, apply, solve, analyze and communicate.

    • Grade 12 Literacy Assessment

      The Grade 12 Literacy Assessment is a provincial assessment that assesses student proficiency in literacy. It is a graduation requirement and students typically take the assessment in their Grade 12 year.

    • 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); Middle School (6-9); Junior Secondary (8-10, SU); Secondary (8-12, SU); and Senior Secondary (11, 12, SU). Note: EU = Elementary Ungraded and SU = Secondary Ungraded.

    • Graduate

    • 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.

    • Graduate Transition

      Students who have graduated and moved beyond secondary education (for example, post-secondary study, employment, travel or other activities).

    • Graduation

      There are two different graduation certificates that represent graduation from the Kindergarten to Grade 12 system:

      • The British Columbia Certificate of Graduation ("Dogwood")

      • The British Columbia Adult Graduation Diploma ("Adult Dogwood")

      Students with special needs can also complete Individual Education Plan (IEP) goals and receive a British Columbia School Completion Certificate ("Evergreen"), which is referred to as an Alternative Credential instead of graduation. However, not all students with special needs are or should be in an Evergreen Certificate Program.

      The latest B.C. Graduation Program was introduced on July 1, 2018.

    • Graduation Program

      There are two different overarching graduation programs that lead to a graduation certificate from the Kindergarten to Grade 12 system:

      • The British Columbia Certificate of Graduation ("Dogwood") program

      • The British Columbia Adult Graduation Diploma ("Adult Dogwood") program

      Students with special needs can also complete Individual Education Plan (IEP) goals and receive a British Columbia School Completion Certificate ("Evergreen"), which is referred to as an Alternative Credential. However, not all students with special needs are or should be in an Evergreen Certificate Program.

      For the BC Certificate of Graduation ("Dogwood") program, requirements have changed over the years. This information is tracked according to the (approximate) year new requirements are implemented. They are listed below, starting from the most current requirements:

      • 2018 Program

      2004 Program

      • 1995 Program

      • 1986 Program

      In addition to the requirements above, there are also specific requirements in place for international students that enroll in BC schools with the goal of earning a BC Certificate of Graduation ("Dogwood"). These are not captured under a specific flag in EDW, but more information can be found at the International Student Graduation Credit policy.

      Information about Adult Dogwood requirements can be found under the 1950 Program.

      See more on graduation.

    • Graduation Rate

  • H
    • Headcount

      A count of unique individuals, rather than enrolments.

      For example, a class composed of ten half-time Kindergarten students would be considered a headcount of 10, but an Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) of 5.

    • Home Language

      The primary language that 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 to be reported.

      This information is taken from Form 1701. Other fields captured in MyEducation BC (MyEdBC), but not submitted to the Ministry are 'Language Most Used' and 'First Language'.
    • Homeschooled (Children)

      Homeschooling is a classroom alternative offered outside the B.C. educational system. Typically, a home educator (e.g., a parent or guardian) delivers the entire educational program to children at home.

      By law, all children in B.C. must be educated, making it necessary for homeschooled children to be registered. Parent/guardian(s) who choose to homeschool must register their child by September 30 of each year.

      Homeschooling programs are not:
      • Supervised by a B.C.-certified teacher
      • Required to meet provincial standards
      • Inspected by the Ministry of Education and Child Care
      Children in Grades 10, 11, or 12 may enrol in a distributed learning course offered by a public or independent online learning school, as well as being registered as a homeschooler.

      See more about homeschooling.
  • I
    • 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

      See more about independent schools.
    • 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.

      For more information, see the website for the Manual for School Law - K to 12.

    • Individual Education Plan (IEP)

      An individual education plan designed for a student that includes one or more of the following:

      (a) learning outcomes for a course, subject and grade that are different from or in addition to the expected learning outcomes for a course, or subject and grade set out in the applicable educational program guide for that course, subject and grade;

      (b) a list of support services required for the student to achieve the learning outcomes established for the student;

      (c) a list of the adapted materials, or instructional or assessment methods required by the student to meet the learning outcomes established in the IEP.

      See the Individual Education Plan Order M638/95 for more information.

  • L
    • Late French Immersion

      Refers to students beginning French Immersion in Grade 6. At the 8 - 12 level, these students move into and are reported under the Early French Immersion stream.

      To be reported in Late French Immersion, students must be receiving French language instruction for the required minimum amounts of time:

      • Grade 6: 100%

      • Grade 7: 80%

      See more on French Immersion.

    • Learning Disabilities

      The Learning Disabilities grouping for Special Needs (in performance-oriented reports) consists of Special Needs 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%

      See more on Provincial letter grades.

  • M
    • Mincode

      A commonly-used term for the school code, which is an eight-digit identifier assigned to a school by the Ministry of Education (i.e. "Mincode" is short for Ministry Code).

    • Mix and Match

      Applies to course retakes and previous examination scores

      A policy that allows a student to blend his or her best school percentage and best provincial examination mark within a 12-month period. To write an exam more than twice (the original attempt and a rewrite), a student must retake the course and the school must submit a new school percentage to the Ministry. If the student retakes the course within 12 months of writing the first exam, the Ministry will use the higher school percentage and the previous exam score to calculate the final mark. Following the second course completion, the student may write the exam again. The higher of the two exam percentages is then used to calculate the final blended mark.

      If a student repeats a course that ends more than 12 months after first writing the exam, the student must write the exam again to blend the score with the new school mark.

      For example, Mary completed English 12 and wrote the provincial exam in June 2009. She then retook the course the following school year. She could use her June 2009 exam score to calculate a new final mark because she completed the course the second time within 12 months of writing the exam. Alternatively, she could write the exam again and use the higher of the two exam percentages to calculate her final mark.

    • Msk

      Abbreviation of Mask, which indicates that the information has been suppressed to protect personal information.

      The Ministry Masking Policy is intended to prevent the possibility of associating statistical data with an identifiable individual. To protect the privacy of individuals, very small population numbers must be suppressed (masked) when the Ministry of Education reports or otherwise publicly releases aggregated data.

  • N
    • Non-resident (student)

      Non-resident students fall under the following categories: 1) not involved in a reciprocal exchange; 2) not ordinarily resident in the province and for school-aged students for whom the guardians of the students are not ordinarily resident in B.C. Provincial funding is not provided for these students.

      Residency status is used to determine whether the Ministry of Education will provide operating grant funding to boards of education or independent schools for students enrolling in a school.

      See: Eligibility of Students for Operating Grant Funding

  • O
    • Offshore School

      BC-Certified Offshore Schools are located outside Canada and authorized to offer the B.C. curriculum. The Ministry of Education certifies, inspects and regulates offshore schools, and ensures that they meet BC education standards.

      See more about Offshore Schools.

    • Online Learning

      A Student’s educational program may be provided through Online Learning or through a combination of Online Learning and other types of learning. This was formerly called Distributed Learning.

      Effective July 1, 2023, the new Online Learning Policy provides a general framework for the delivery of online learning in B.C.

      An Online Learning School is identified with a unique ministry school code (Mincode).

    • Optional Examination

      Note: Provincial examinations have been discontinued



      There are a few cases in which Provincial Examinations are considered ‘optional’.

      1) Between 2004/2005 and 2010/2011, students had the option of taking provincial examinations related to specific Grade 12 courses (in addition to those already required). If students chose to write these exams, results counted for 40 percent of their Final Mark (even if it lowered the final mark). Students choosing not to write optional exams received their final mark based only on their course work (and their results are in the Course Mark Student Level table).

      For students who wrote an optional exam and decided to retake the course in another year and forego the optional exam, their exam result from the previous year is still included as part of the Final Mark unless they instructed the Ministry of Education otherwise.

      2) When the Ministry of Education discontinued all optional provincial exams it made an exception for français langue seconde-immersion 12. The exam is considered ‘optional’ because it is not required for BC graduation, but is a requirement for receiving a Dual Dogwood.

      3) All provincial exams are considered optional if a student is on the Adult Graduation Program (see British Columbia Adult Graduation Diploma ("Adult Dogwood")).

    • Ordinarily Resident for funding purposes

      Section 82(1) of the School Act states: "a board must provide free of charge to every student of school age resident in British Columbia and enrolled in an educational program in a school operated by the board, instruction in an educational program …” Section 82(2) states "for the purposes of subsection (1), a student is resident in British Columbia if the student and the guardian of the person of the student are ordinarily resident in British Columbia."

    • Other Approved Aboriginal Programs

      One of three categories of Aboriginal Education Programs and Services under which a student may be claimed for targeted funding. There must be evidence that students are receiving a program developed, defined, approved and delivered through a shared decision-making process between the school board and the Aboriginal communities it serves.

    • Outmigration

      Completion Rate measures are adjusted for outmigration - i.e. the movement of students out of British Columbia. The Ministry of Education cannot state with certainty which students left the province, as opposed to discontinuing their K-12 education altogether. As a proxy, the Ministry calculates the outmigration rate for students in Grades 2 through 4 in a particular district. This rate is then applied to an actual cohort to obtain the estimated number of students in the cohort who outmigrated.

      For more information, see Understanding outmigration in the Six Year Completion Rate.

  • P
    • 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 in which 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.

    • 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.

      This program has been phased out.

    • Pass Rate

      Students who receive a passing letter grade of A, B, C+, C, or C- as their exam mark in a particular year divided by 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.

    • Programme francophone

      A program provided in recognition of the unique rights of francophone parents under section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. French is the language of instruction for this program and English can be considered to meet the second language requirement in Grades 5 to 8 for students in the program.

      Programme francophone is only offered by the Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique (CSF, School District 093), a public school district present in many locations throughout the province.

    • 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.

      To participate in any of the Provincial Scholarships and Awards Programs, students must

      • be Canadian citizens, or
      • permanent residents of British Columbia, and
      • meet graduation requirements.

      International students or study permit students are not eligible for any of the provincial scholarships and awards.

      Graduates can win:

      • the Grade 12 Graduation Program Examinations Scholarship (which was called the Provincial Scholarship Program prior to school year 2006/2007)
      • the District/Authority Scholarships (called the District Scholarship Program prior to 2006/2007)

      There are also 2 specialty scholarships:

      • the Secondary School Apprenticeship (SSA) Scholarship
      • the Pathway to Teacher Education Scholarship.

      Formerly, there the Passport to Education award stamps.

    • Provincial Examinations

      Note: Provincial examinations have been discontinued


      Significant changes took effect under the new BC Graduation Program (see 2018 Program). As of 2017/2018, the only provincial exams are those still required to meet the Language Arts 12 credits or the French Language 12 credits for the new BC Graduation Program. All other Provincial Examinations were discontinued after June 2016.

      A specific type of provincial large-scale assessment designed to allow individual students to demonstrate they have met provincial graduation requirements, in accordance with a specific Graduation Program. Provincial examinations are typically held in November, January, April, June and August.

    • Provincial Online Learning School (POLS)

      POLS is a public or independent provincial online learning school.

      If a local online learning school doesn't have the
      course or program students want, they can explore other options with provincial online learning schools.
    • 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.

    • 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 board of education. Types of public schools include standard, continuing education, and distributed learning schools (online learning).

      For more information about the different types of BC public schools, see Facility Type.
  • R
    • Required Examination

      These are Provincial Examinations that must be taken by students to earn credit in specific courses required for Graduation. Results are also used to calculate a student’s Final Mark for the course. Provincial examinations that are not required to earn credit for a course are referred to as an Optional Examination.

    • Resident (student)

      Resident students are those for which the Ministry of Education will provide operating grant funding to boards of education or eligible independent schools.

      The ministry provides operating grant funding for:

      • Children who, along with their guardian(s), are ordinarily resident in British Columbia.

      • Children who are deemed ordinarily resident in BC under the School Regulation.

      • Other children who meet criteria set out in the Eligibility of Students for Operating Grant Funding policy.

    • Rewrite

      A student may write a Provincial Examination more than once 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.

  • S
    • Satisfaction Survey

      The Satisfaction Survey was administered annually, between 2001/2002 and 2015/2016, to gather opinions from students, parents/guardians, and school staff on achievement, human and social development, and safety. It was 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 was kept brief and was 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.

      Significant changes were made to the Satisfaction Survey (SATS) starting in the 2016/2017 school year, and it is now known as the Student Learning Survey (SLS).

    • School

      An organization having at least one teacher and administrator, which provides educational programs to at least one student.

    • School-age

      Five to nineteen years of age inclusive. For the current school year, this is a student who is 5 years of age or older on December 31 and 19 or younger on June 30.

    • 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.

    • 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

    • School Completion Certificate

      See British Columbia School Completion Certificate ("Evergreen") or School Completion Certificate Program (SCCP).
    • School Completion Rate

    • School District

      An area in British Columbia created or constituted as a district under the School Act and administered by a Board of Education.

      Districts are numbered 005 to 093. There are currently 60 school districts, including the Conseil Scolaire Francophone (CSF) (known in English as the Francophone Education Authority). This has been the case since 1996.

    • School Number

      The final five numbers of the Ministry code (mincode), used to distinguish schools within a district.

      See Mincode.
    • School of Attribution

      The specific school to which an event or outcome is to be attributed. For example, Provincial Examinations or Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA) results. The rules of attribution are dependent upon the data set in question.

    • School Year

      The 12-month period commencing on July 1 and ending the following June 30.

    • Secondary Ungraded (SU)

      Students who are taking courses at the Grade 8-12 level and the school personnel do not consider them to be in a specific grade.

    • Second Language Course

      All students must take a second language as part of the curriculum in Grades 5 to 8, except for the following two situations:

      • A student has been identified as having special needs or is receiving English Language Learning (ELL) services and is unable to demonstrate learning in relation to the expected learning outcomes of the second language course.

      • A student is enrolled in Late French Immersion in Grade 6.

      Boards of education decide which second languages will be offered. Core French will be the language offered if the board does not offer an alternative. All students, especially those of Aboriginal ancestry, should have opportunities to learn an Aboriginal language. The Ministry of Education encourages opportunities for all students to learn languages that are significant within their communities.

      Although the Ministry collects information on Grade 5 to 8 students enrolled in Core French, very little information is available on student participation in other second language courses. Information is collected about a student who is enrolled in an Aboriginal Language and Culture Program but no further details are provided.

    • Sensory Disabilities

      The Sensory Disabilities grouping for Special Needs (in performance-oriented reports) consists of Special Needs Categories E (Visual Impairment) and F (Deaf or Hard of Hearing).

    • Six-Year Completion Rate

      The proportion of students who graduate, with a British Columbia Certificate of Graduation ("Dogwood") or a British Columbia Adult Graduation Diploma ("Adult Dogwood"), within six years from the first time they enrol in Grade 8, adjusted for migration in and out of British Columbia. A six-year rate provides students with an additional year beyond the five years required to move through Grades 8-12.

      Six-year completion rates are not produced at the school level, as outmigration adjustments (to account for students leaving the province) cannot be estimated from Ministry data. The district in which a student last attended school in Years 1 through 6 is assigned to the district cohort from which the Six-Year Completion Rate is determined.

      For a more information, see Completion Rate or the Friendly Guide to the Completion Rate.

    • Special Needs (in performance-oriented reports)

      Until June 2020, the Ministry reported on the performance of students in the following select Special Needs Categories only:

      Sensory Disabilities

      Category E – Visual Impairment (Level 2 supplemental funding*)

      Category F – Deaf or Hard of Hearing (Level 2 supplemental funding*)

      Learning Disabilities

      Category Q – Learning Disability

      Behaviour Disabilities

      Category H – Intensive Behaviour Intervention/Serious Mental Illness (Level 3 supplemental funding*)

      Category R – Moderate Behaviour Support/Mental Illness

      The selections and their groupings are based on historical analysis of program participation and outcomes. More information about all existing categories can be found in the Special Education Services: Manual of Policies, Procedures, and Guidelines, Section E.

      For information about funding, see the K-12 Funding - Special Needs policy.

      Going forward, the Ministry is reporting on all 12 Special Needs Categories.

    • Special Needs, students with

      Students who have a disability of an intellectual, physical, sensory, emotional or behavioural nature, have a learning disability or have special gifts or talents, as defined in the Special Education Services: Manual of Policies, Procedures, and Guidelines, Section E.

      The Ministry's policy is to report on all 12 special needs categories unless stated otherwise.

    • Special Needs Categories

      Special Needs Categories are established within the Special Education Services: Manual of Policies, Procedures, and Guidelines to assist school districts in identifying student needs, providing appropriate educational programs, and to identify criteria to report students for supplemental funding*. The current ‘categorical’ system is not intended to specifically identify all medically diagnosed conditions and syndromes that may have an impact on student needs and educational program. Detailed information on each of the categories may be found within the Special Education Services Category Checklists - 2010. The categories and reporting codes are summarized below:

      A - Physically Dependent

      B - Deafblind

      C - Moderate to Profound Intellectual Disability

      D - Physical Disability or Chronic Health Impairment

      E - Visual Impairment

      F - Deaf or Hard of Hearing

      G - Autism Spectrum Disorder

      H - Intensive Behaviour Interventions or Serious Mental Illness

      K - Mild Intellectual Disabilities

      P - Gifted

      Q - Learning Disability

      R - Students Requiring Behaviour Support or Students with Mental Illness

      *For information about funding, see the K-12 Funding - Special Needs policy.

      A student can be identified in only one of the Special Needs Categories by a school, even if they have multiple special needs. However, students may be identified in a different category from one data collection period to the next.

      The Ministry's policy is to report on all 12 special needs categories unless stated otherwise.

    • Standard School

      A public and independent standard school facility type. It is sometimes referred to as a "bricks-and-mortar" school.

    • Student

      A person, of any age, who is reported by a BC board of education, francophone education authority or BC certified independent school (including offshore schools), as enrolling in and receiving educational services.

    • Student Learning Survey

      Students in Grades 4, 7, 10 and 12, their parents and all staff in B.C. public schools are invited to participate in an annual online satisfaction survey about their school experience.

      The survey covers a range of topics, providing a comprehensive picture of the educational experience in B.C. public schools. Questions were developed with input from partner groups, teachers and experts in educational measurement and special education.
    • Success Rate

  • T
    • Teacher

      An individual who has a valid BC teaching certificate and is employed by a school board or independent school authority 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.

    • Transition

    • TRAX

      The Ministry of Education’s Transcripts and Examinations (TRAX) system collects and stores student demographic, course and Provincial exam information for grade 10, 11 and 12 students to support the administration of Provincial exams, determination of graduation eligibility and the production of graduation credential documents. The system is also used to calculate eligibility for BC Provincial scholarships and provide transcript data directly to Post-secondary institutions.

  • W
    • Writer

      A writer is any person who has written one or more provincial exams, an FSA assessment, or a graduation assessment.

  • Y
    • Years of Experience (Teacher Statistics)

      The number of years working as an educator / teacher / administrator.

    • Youth Custody/Residential Attendance Centre

      These are centres where students may be sent either by court order, or while they are on probation.

      Youth Custody/Residential Attendance Centre facility types are only found under the jurisdiction of public boards of education.