Alberta Diploma Exam

Standardized testing in Alberta was first known to be introduced in 1892 when the government of the Northwest Territories, of which modern day Alberta was originally apart of, wanted to ensure greater accountability and that it's student were being taken seriously when applying to tertiary institutions. Alberta has continued to use standardized testing for these same reasons. The official Ministry of Education purpose of standardized testing is to:

There are two types of provincially administered standardized testing in Alberta: Provincial Achievement Tests (PATs) and Diploma Examinations (diplomas). Depending on the course, these tests may be administered in English or French. The first type of exams, Provincial Achievement Tests, are taken by students in grade 6 and 9, typically in May and June. The second type of exam, Diploma Examinations, are taken by students enrolled in 30-1 and 30-2 level courses. Results of the diplomas are an important factor in admissions to universities and colleges across Canada as exam results make up 30% of the course grade for 30-level subjects.

Standardized testing is controversial in general, and Alberta is not an exception. The Alberta Teacher's Association is formally against standardized testing.

Additionally, the territorial governments of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut follow parts of the Alberta curriculum and because of this, students in these territories write botProvincial Achievement Testh types of tests.

In 1983, the ministry instated a "Achievement Testing Program" for grades 3, 6, and 9. These were different than Provincial Achievement Tests because they assessed only one core subject (English language arts, social studies, mathematics, and science) a year.

1892 was the first time that students in, what is today Alberta, took provincial exams. At the time, Alberta was a part of the Northwest Territories and all students in what was then the Northwest Territories took the exams. These exams were taken in Standards V through VIII (grades 9 to 12). It is because of this shared history that today, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut both take some of the Alberta exams.

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