Cancelled high school exams won’t affect post-secondary admissions, universities say

As several school boards in Ontario decide to scrap exams during the pandemic, universities are reassuring students that the move won’t affect their post-secondary plans.

School boards in Toronto, Peel Region and Durham Region are among those that have announced the cancellation of exams, saying the move is aimed at reducing student stress and is not expected to have a negative impact on the quality of education students receive.

At the University of Toronto, provost adviser, Dwayne Benjamin, said the university will be « as flexible as possible » when it comes to processing admissions.

« We will work with whatever grades we are provided, » he said.

Benjamin said the university recognizes that not all Ontario high school applicants will be able to provide final grades on typical timelines, and the university will make conditional offers of admission throughout the year on the basis of available Grade 11 and 12 marks.

Ryerson University in Toronto said it will accept final grades that are based on whatever method of evaluation high school teachers deem fit, whether they include final exams or not.

« Universities and colleges — not just high schools — have needed to modify their learning assessment methods to place less emphasis, or even eliminate, final exams during this time of COVID-19 disruption, » Ryerson’s office of the registrar said in a statement.

The University of Waterloo also said it will consider available results submitted, regardless of adjustments to grading practices during the pandemic.

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