Colonel Gray High scraps exam exemptions

Charlottetown's Colonel Gray High School is bringing an end to its policy of providing exam exemptions to students who meet a certain standard.

The province's largest high school is the only one that offers exemptions. Students can receive exemptions on up to two mid-term and final exams if they maintain a 65 per cent average, complete all their assignments, and have no more than six absences.

Principal Kevin Whitrow said the policy has been a great motivator for students, but some people complained exempting exams did not properly prepare students for post-secondary education.

Whitrow said the English Language School Board is working towards more standardized curriculums across the province. Many of those curriculums place a strong importance on a final exam.

"The exemption policy, if it's not consistent across all schools sets up potential differences," said Whitrow.

"Teachers were finding as they got to the end, if they didn't have that cumulative, summative assessment at the end, they sometimes didn't feel like the students brought all that knowledge together."

Colonel Gray students will still be able to take advantage of exam exemptions for their finals this June. The policy will be scrapped in September.

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