After a significant decline in pass rates in French was observed last year, a larger number of students passed the ministry’s exams last June. This is also the case in science and mathematics.
Updated yesterday at 7:00 am.
What there is to know
The results of the June 2023 ministry examinations show that the success rate in almost all subjects assessed is higher than in the previous year.
The results in French were particularly expected: last year we observed a sharp increase in the default rate.
The current school year marks a return to normality after the easing of restrictions in recent years. The exams in June 2024 will count up to 50% of the certificate grade.
The Ministry of Education provided this data to La Presse on Friday.
In French, last June, secondary school students passed the ministry’s written production test with a percentage of 74.8%, an increase of five percentage points compared to 2022 (69.8%).
However, this is lower than pre-pandemic results. In June 2019, the pass rate for this final test was 78.9%.
“There is an upswing. Last year we were really worried [que les résultats] continues to decline,” recalls Nicole Monney, professor in the Department of Education at the University of Quebec at Chicoutimi (UQAC).
In January last year, figures from La Presse showed that failure rates in written French among young people in secondary school rose sharply. In certain school service centers, almost half of the students had failed this test.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESS
Bernard Drainville, Minister of Education
Education Minister Bernard Drainville then said he was “concerned” about the declining results. He has since announced that he would like to renew the French program in primary and secondary education by the start of the 2025 school year.
Success rates are also increasing in other subjects
In the field of science and technology, the increase in the success rate in the ministry examination is clearly noticeable. In 2022, 75.6% of students passed the exam. 82.2% of them passed the exam last June.
For Nicole Monney, schools have managed to overcome the “great divide” during the pandemic. “This is good news,” said the UQAC professor.
She believes the school has managed to get back on track after two years of what could be described as “normal” results.
A larger proportion of students also passed the ministerial examinations in English. In mathematics, the success rates have sometimes fallen slightly depending on the course of study chosen, but are generally closer to the level before the pandemic.
A return to greater emphasis
In 2020 and 2021, the ministry’s one-time tests were canceled due to the COVID-19 crisis.
The current school year officially marks the end of the “easy” years for the students. The ministry’s exams, which will take place next June, will be worth up to 50% of the certificate grade for students in secondary schools 4 and 5.
By adding a “little motivating factor” due to the high weighting, next year’s results could be even higher, says Nicole Monney.
The Ministry of Education also provided La Presse with the pass rate for courses that include compulsory tests. They are like what we see in exams: on the rise.
In French, for example, the success rate of students last year was 89%. 85% of students passed their history course in Quebec and Canada.
However, it is more informative to observe the results of individual tests, notes Professor Nicole Monney.
“This is what is more stable from year to year. If we take into account the success rate in the content taught in class, it can vary greatly from year to year. The individual test doesn’t move much, it’s easier to compare,” explains Ms. Monney.