Ontario to Make Attendance Count for up to 15 per Cent of High School Final Grades
Attendance will count for up to 15% of final marks, and written exams will be mandatory as Ontario overhauls high school assessment.
- On Monday, Education Minister Paul Calandra unveiled legislation requiring mandatory written exams and making attendance and participation worth 15 per cent of final marks for Ontario high school students in Grades 9 and 10.
- Calandra introduced these changes to combat rising student absenteeism since the COVID-19 pandemic, arguing that previous coursework-only grading provided no incentive for attendance.
- The policy assigns 15 per cent of final marks to participation and attendance for Grades 9 and 10, with 10 per cent for Grades 11 and 12, while written exams become mandatory on official exam days.
- Malin Leahy of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation called the policy "low-hanging fruit" failing to address core classroom issues, though Martha Hradowy noted teachers support reinstating exams "by and large."
- Ontario Liberal John Fraser argued the government should focus on school safety and support rather than attendance-based grading, claiming unsupportive environments drive current absenteeism.
31 Articles
31 Articles
Ontario Proposes Bill to Make High School Attendance Worth Up to 15 Percent of Students’ Marks
Ontario high school students could soon see their attendance and participation make up a substantial portion of their final grades, as the province moves to revamp the classroom evaluation methods. Policy changes impacting teacher instruction and student grades in class were announced this week by Education Minister Paul Calandra as part of a broader initiative aiming to overhaul the effectiveness of educational governance. He introduced the Put…
Ontario plans to tie high school attendance to grades and mandate final exams. It's getting mixed reactions
New Ontario education legislation proposes to count attendance and class participation into high schoolers' final marks and to mandate final exams, drawing a mix of reaction from students, parents and education experts.
Ontario pledge to tie attendance to high school marks, mandate final exams draws mixed reaction
New Ontario education legislation proposes to count attendance and class participation into high schoolers' final marks and to mandate final exams, drawing a mix of reaction from students, parents and education experts.
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