Grade 12 students in B.C. issued incorrect transcripts after 'anomaly' in tabulation of provincial exams

Some B.C. secondary students may have incorrect exam results on their final transcripts, caused by an "anomaly" in the tabulation of Grade 12 provincial exams written in June, according to the ministry of education.

The ministry says it's reviewing every June 2019 exam result to ensure student grades are accurately reflected on their transcripts, which can affect admission to post-secondary schools. 

On Wednesday, the ministry said revised transcripts will be posted by end of day.

"We understand that this situation is stressful for students and families. We are focused on resolving this as quickly as possible," the ministry said in a statement.

It said all B.C. secondary schools have been advised of the problem. The ministry is also contacting all Canadian post-secondary institutions to "ensure no student applications are impacted."

Some schools have since contacted parents. One of them, Sentinel Secondary School in West Vancouver, said in a note to parents on Tuesday it had been in touch with the ministry several times over the past five days about the technical glitch.

It said results for the English 12 and Francais Langue Seconde 12 exams (taken by grade 12 French-immersion students) may have been affected.

Deadlines approaching

In B.C., students can check their provincial exam results online, and request that their schools forward transcripts directly to the universities to which they've applied.

For some Canadian universities, the deadline for transcripts is Aug. 1.

Peter Johnston, the principal of L.A. Matheson Secondary School in Surrey, said the ministry informed them that some incorrect exam results were uploaded to the ministry's system. But the ministry wouldn't say how many students had been affected.

He said students and parents have expressed anxiety that the wrong results will be sent out.

"They are trying to understand what was going on and the impact to their university applications. I said chances are if you've already been conditionally accepted that's fine, you're going to be OK," he said.

"Of course, there's a little bit of angst ... You always kind of want to end with the positive that, hey, your mark could get better than what you saw a week ago," he said.

'Absolutely gobsmacked'

Jane Ilott's son graduated from Walnut Grove Secondary in Langley, and wrote both the provincial exams that were affected by the glitch. He's been accepted to Royal Military College, which, unlike most universities, requires him to submit hard copies of his final transcripts within the next few days.

"I can't imagine the hoops my kid is going to have to jump through now," Ilot said, adding she was already stressed about the transcripts given how long it took for the results to be posted.

She said many of her son's friends are extremely anxious — one fellow student, who scored in the 90s in her advanced English course, was shocked to see she scored a grade in the 60s on her provincial exam, putting her scholarships at risk.

"Imagine if you were one of the kids who got a failing mark? There's already so much pressure with [an exam] worth 40 per cent," said Ilott.

Ilott said she was also alarmed that she didn't receive any word from her son's school, and found out the student transcripts might not be accurate through the media.

"I can't believe they did this to students, I'm absolutely gobsmacked that this happened," she said.