Glossary

Note: The 2004 Graduation Program closed as of June 30, 2020.

This is the 80-credit, credit-based graduation program, which came into effect for those who entered Grade 10 on or after July 1, 2004. The B.C. Certificate of Graduation or "Dogwood Diploma" is awarded to students who successfully complete the program requirements.

Aboriginal Education programs and services are intended to support the success of Aboriginal Students preferably through the implementation of an Aboriginal Education Enhancement Agreement.

According to Form 1701 instructions, students may be claimed for funding under one or more of the following three categories:

Aboriginal Language and Culture Programs

Aboriginal Support Services

Other Approved Aboriginal Programs

Throughout each school year the Ministry collects student data, some of which is used to monitor outcomes for self-identified Indigenous students in the BC public school system. The data are published in the form of the annual How Are We Doing? (HAWD) Report.

The report has been published since 1999 and is used by the First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC), Nations, and School Boards. It includes a provincial summary report, as well as 60 school district reports: https://studentsuccess.gov.bc.ca/.

Data elements include the Count of Students, Foundation Skills Assessment results, Graduation Assessments & Course Marks, Completion Rate, Post-Secondary Transitions and Student Learning Survey results.

* Updating terminology from Aboriginal to Indigenous requires changes to Ministry data collection processes that will ensure standardized wording from collection onwards. This work is underway, and in the interim, Tripartite partners agreed to deliberately retain the older terminology.

A person who has a valid British Columbia teaching certificate and is employed by a school board or authority to provide administrative duty in schools. Includes Principals, Vice-Principals, and Directors of Instruction.

See 1950 Program.

Total number of students divided by the weighted number of classes in the given school.

For more information on how the averages are calculated in the source system, see the Class Size Average Calculation spreadsheet.

See Final Mark.

A certificate that recognizes the accomplishments of students with special needs and an Individual Education Plan (IEP), who have met the goals of their education program, other than graduation (and not all students with special needs should be in an Evergreen program). The Evergreen is not a graduation credential; students who receive an Evergreen have not graduated.

The student does not have to be in Grade 12 to receive their documentation; Grades 8 to 12, inclusive, are valid grades. All completed Grade 10, 11 and 12 courses should be reported for these students. For many students this will mean a mixture of credit and non-credit courses. A final percentage and letter grade must be reported for each course.

A student can receive both a British Columbia Certificate of Graduation ("Dogwood") and a School Completion Certificate.

The proportion of students who graduate (with either the British Columbia Certificate of Graduation ("Dogwood") or the British Columbia Adult Graduation Diploma ("Adult Dogwood")) within a given number of years from the first time they enrol in Grade 8, adjusted for Outmigration. The completion rate model is only calculated at the district and Province level and is not valid at the school level.

There are four completion rate models: the 5-, 6-, 7-, and 8-year models. Each model represents the potential number of years it may take a student to graduate. The reported measure is the Six-Year Completion Rate.

For more details, please see the Friendly Guide to the Completion Rate.

Core French is a second-language program for Grades 5 to 12, designed to enable students to begin to understand and communicate in French, as well as to experience francophone cultures. French is studied as a subject rather than as a language of instruction.

The Language Education Policy mentions that ‘All students must take a second language as part of the curriculum in Grades 5 to 8’ and that it is up to school districts to ensure there is continuity of instruction in the same language for a student in Grades 5 to 8. There is no mention on the minimum required instruction time in this policy. The Ministry does not have a specific requirement for the number of instructional minutes for second language learning. However, some districts may choose to develop their own policies around this.  

Core French is usually between one and three hours (60 to 180 minutes) of instruction per week, depending on the school district’s policies. There is a Core French Grant available to provide supplemental funding needed to deliver Core French programmings in participating school districts where the minimum instructional time of 4% is met.

According to instructions for the 1701 form:

To be reported in Core French, students must be receiving French language instruction for the required minimum amounts of time:

• Grades K-3: 4%

• Grades 4-7: 5.3%

• Grades 8-12: 12.5%

DOLS is a local online learning school in a school district
or independent school authority area.

Economic family refers to a group of two or more persons who live in the same dwelling and are related to each other by blood, marriage, common-law union, adoption or a foster relationship.

By definition, all persons who are members of a census family are also members of an economic family. Examples of the broader concept of economic family include the following: two co-resident census families who are related to one another are considered one economic family; co-resident siblings who are not members of a census family are considered as one economic family; and, nieces or nephews living with aunts or uncles are considered one economic family.

A student who has enrolled in sufficient courses to meet Graduation requirements and are expected to graduate in that year.

Eligible to graduate reporting only includes Dogwood (BC Secondary Graduation Diploma), and does not include Adult Dogwood (BC Adult Graduation Diploma) or Evergeen (BC School Completion Certificate).

Graduation Program requirements have changed over time. Eligibility to graduate is dependent upon the student having met the current British Columbia provincial requirements of the applicable graduation program.

Supports and services that enable students to develop their language and literacy skills to achieve the expected learning outcomes of the provincial curriculum.

Boards of Education that report students as receiving ELL support services to the Ministry of Education, meeting all of the requirements as specified on the Form 1701 Instructions, may qualify for ELL funding. Students enrolled with Conseil scolaire francophone may also be reported under this category if they are receiving French Language Learning (FLL) or Apprentissage de la Langue Anglaise (ALA) supports and all the requirements are met. Support services for English as a Second Dialect (ESD) are also recognised as part of ELL support services.

The program was known as English as a Second Language (ESL) until January 2012.

Independent schools don’t receive funding for ELL students.

Recognizes documented learning from outside the regular British Columbia school system that the local school district deems equivalent to the learning outcomes of a Ministry-Developed or Board Authority Authorized (BAA) courses Grade 10, 11 or 12 course. “Deems equivalent” means a match of approximately 80% of the prescribed learning outcomes.

Where the Ministry has not reviewed courses for equivalency, school districts have the authority to do so.

See more on Equivalency.

In the EDW, refers to a final mark that a student receives for a grade 10, 11 or 12 course that includes results from any Provincial Examinations, where available.

Provincial exam results are blended with the school/classroom mark to generate final course marks. Weightings are according to specifications in the Handbook of Procedures for the Graduation Program for the school year in which the activity occurs. Best marks from course or exam results may be used, even if earned in different school years. See Mix and Match.

Note: Provincial exams were discontinued after the 2017/2018 school year.

First Nations Schools are operated under the authority of a First Nation. In BC, First Nations and their schools are supported by the First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC) and the First Nations Schools Association (FNSA).

Regarding data collection, there are two ‘groupings’ of First Nations schools:

1) Those First Nations schools that also choose to become registered as an Independent School with the BC Ministry of Education, in accordance with the Independent School Act - most often for funding or certificate granting purposes.

2) Those First Nations schools that are outside the Province’s jurisdiction (i.e. Federal), but for which data has been collected by the Ministry based on their prior registration as an Independent School or for operational purposes related to that school.

The proportion of students who graduate, with a British Columbia Certificate of Graduation ("Dogwood") or a British Columbia Adult Graduation Diploma ("Adult Dogwood"), within five years from the first time they enrol in Grade 8, adjusted for migration in and out of British Columbia. Generally, five years are required to move through Grades 8-12.

Five-year completion rates are not produced at the school level, as outmigration adjustments (to account for students leaving the province) cannot be estimated from Ministry data. The district in which a student last attended school in Years 1 through 5 is assigned to the district cohort from which the Five-Year Completion Rate is determined.

For a more information, see Completion Rate or the Friendly Guide to the Completion Rate.

Includes Early French Immersion and Late French Immersion programs.

Students in the French Immersion program typically receive the following amount of instruction in French:

K – 2/3: 100%

3/4 – 7: 80 %

8 – 10: 50-75%

12: No less than 25%

The proportion of 'full time' that the student is considered to be. A value of 1.0 indicates full-time enrolment.

• Kindergarten students: Since 2011/12, all Kindergarten students are attending full-day and are funded at 1.0 FTE (full-time equivalent). (See Form 1701 Instructions for additional information.)
• Elementary students in Grades 1 to 7: Students in these grades are funded as 1.0 FTE per school year.
• Secondary students in Grades 10 to 12 FTE: Calculated based on each eligible full course (four credits) funded as 0.125 FTE (see Form 1701 Instructions for exceptions). For students enrolled in Online Learning or Alternate schools, refer to the Online Learning Funding policy and the Alternate Education School Program Policy. For adult students refer to the Adult Funding Policy.

The Grade 10 Literacy Assessment is a provincial assessment that assesses student proficiency in literacy. It is a graduation requirement and students typically take the assessment in their Grade 10 year.

The Grade 10 Literacy Assessment assesses student ability to use critical thinking and analysis to make meaning from a diverse array of texts. It also assesses the ability of students to communicate their ideas. The Grade 10 Literacy Assessment is not based on a particular course, but on learning across multiple subjects, from kindergarten to Grade 10.

The Grade 10 Numeracy Assessment is a provincial assessment that assesses student proficiency in numeracy. It is a graduation requirement and students take the assessment in their Grade 10 year.

The Grade 10 Numeracy Assessment focuses on the application of mathematical concepts learned across multiple subjects from kindergarten to Grade 10. It requires students to solve problems by using five numeracy processes (different ways of thinking and working): interpret, apply, solve, analyze and communicate.

The Grade 12 Literacy Assessment is a provincial assessment that assesses student proficiency in literacy. It is a graduation requirement and students typically take the assessment in their Grade 12 year.

There are two different graduation certificates that represent graduation from the Kindergarten to Grade 12 system:

• The British Columbia Certificate of Graduation ("Dogwood")

• The British Columbia Adult Graduation Diploma ("Adult Dogwood")

Students with special needs can also complete Individual Education Plan (IEP) goals and receive a British Columbia School Completion Certificate ("Evergreen"), which is referred to as an Alternative Credential instead of graduation. However, not all students with special needs are or should be in an Evergreen Certificate Program.

The latest B.C. Graduation Program was introduced on July 1, 2018.

There are two different overarching graduation programs that lead to a graduation certificate from the Kindergarten to Grade 12 system:

• The British Columbia Certificate of Graduation ("Dogwood") program

• The British Columbia Adult Graduation Diploma ("Adult Dogwood") program

Students with special needs can also complete Individual Education Plan (IEP) goals and receive a British Columbia School Completion Certificate ("Evergreen"), which is referred to as an Alternative Credential. However, not all students with special needs are or should be in an Evergreen Certificate Program.

For the BC Certificate of Graduation ("Dogwood") program, requirements have changed over the years. This information is tracked according to the (approximate) year new requirements are implemented. They are listed below, starting from the most current requirements:

• 2018 Program

• 2004 Program

• 1995 Program

• 1986 Program

In addition to the requirements above, there are also specific requirements in place for international students that enroll in BC schools with the goal of earning a BC Certificate of Graduation ("Dogwood"). These are not captured under a specific flag in EDW, but more information can be found at the International Student Graduation Credit policy.

Information about Adult Dogwood requirements can be found under the 1950 Program.

See more on graduation.

The primary language that is normally spoken in the home. If more than one language is normally spoken in the home, only the language that is spoken most often is to be reported.

This information is taken from Form 1701. Other fields captured in MyEducation BC (MyEdBC), but not submitted to the Ministry are 'Language Most Used' and 'First Language'.

Homeschooling is a classroom alternative offered outside the B.C. educational system. Typically, a home educator (e.g., a parent or guardian) delivers the entire educational program to children at home.

By law, all children in B.C. must be educated, making it necessary for homeschooled children to be registered. Parent/guardian(s) who choose to homeschool must register their child by September 30 of each year.

Homeschooling programs are not:

• Supervised by a B.C.-certified teacher
• Required to meet provincial standards
• Inspected by the Ministry of Education and Child Care

Children in Grades 10, 11, or 12 may enrol in a distributed learning course offered by a public or independent online learning school, as well as being registered as a homeschooler.

See more about homeschooling.

A school that is maintained and operated in British Columbia by an authority that provides an educational program to 10 or more school-aged students as outlined in the Independent School Act. All independent schools must hold a valid Certificate of Group Classification issued by the Inspector of Independent Schools.

Classification of independent schools is based on the school's ability to meet the requirements for Group Classifications in the Independent School Act.

Group 1 - funded at 50% of the per-student operating grant of the district in which the school resides

Group 2 - funded at 35% of the per-student operating grant of the district in which the school resides

Group 3 - unfunded. Note: All independent schools are classified as Group 3 for the first year that they apply for Ministry certification

Group 4 - unfunded. Note: Must comply with bonding requirements

See more about independent schools.

The Independent School Act is the main piece of legislation guiding the education system of independent schools in British Columbia. For the public school system, its legislative counterpart is the School Act.

For more information, see the website for the Manual for School Law - K to 12.

An individual education plan designed for a student that includes one or more of the following:

(a) learning outcomes for a course, subject and grade that are different from or in addition to the expected learning outcomes for a course, or subject and grade set out in the applicable educational program guide for that course, subject and grade;

(b) a list of support services required for the student to achieve the learning outcomes established for the student;

(c) a list of the adapted materials, or instructional or assessment methods required by the student to meet the learning outcomes established in the IEP.

See the Individual Education Plan Order M638/95 for more information.

Refers to students beginning French Immersion in Grade 6. At the 8 - 12 level, these students move into and are reported under the Early French Immersion stream.

To be reported in Late French Immersion, students must be receiving French language instruction for the required minimum amounts of time:

• Grade 6: 100%

• Grade 7: 80%

See more on French Immersion.

Equivalent to the following ranges of percent scores:

"A" - 86% to 100%

"B" - 73% to 85%

"C+" - 67% to 72%

"C" - 60% to 66%

"C-" - 50% to 59%

"F" - below 50%

See more on Provincial letter grades.

Non-resident students fall under the following categories: 1) not involved in a reciprocal exchange; 2) not ordinarily resident in the province and for school-aged students for whom the guardians of the students are not ordinarily resident in B.C. Provincial funding is not provided for these students.

Residency status is used to determine whether the Ministry of Education will provide operating grant funding to boards of education or independent schools for students enrolling in a school.

See: Eligibility of Students for Operating Grant Funding

A Student’s educational program may be provided through Online Learning or through a combination of Online Learning and other types of learning. This was formerly called Distributed Learning.

Effective July 1, 2023, the new Online Learning Policy provides a general framework for the delivery of online learning in B.C.

An Online Learning School is identified with a unique ministry school code (Mincode).

Note: Provincial examinations have been discontinued

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There are a few cases in which Provincial Examinations are considered ‘optional’.

1) Between 2004/2005 and 2010/2011, students had the option of taking provincial examinations related to specific Grade 12 courses (in addition to those already required). If students chose to write these exams, results counted for 40 percent of their Final Mark (even if it lowered the final mark). Students choosing not to write optional exams received their final mark based only on their course work (and their results are in the Course Mark Student Level table).

For students who wrote an optional exam and decided to retake the course in another year and forego the optional exam, their exam result from the previous year is still included as part of the Final Mark unless they instructed the Ministry of Education otherwise.

2) When the Ministry of Education discontinued all optional provincial exams it made an exception for français langue seconde-immersion 12. The exam is considered ‘optional’ because it is not required for BC graduation, but is a requirement for receiving a Dual Dogwood.

3) All provincial exams are considered optional if a student is on the Adult Graduation Program (see British Columbia Adult Graduation Diploma ("Adult Dogwood")).

Completion Rate measures are adjusted for outmigration - i.e. the movement of students out of British Columbia. The Ministry of Education cannot state with certainty which students left the province, as opposed to discontinuing their K-12 education altogether. As a proxy, the Ministry calculates the outmigration rate for students in Grades 2 through 4 in a particular district. This rate is then applied to an actual cohort to obtain the estimated number of students in the cohort who outmigrated.

For more information, see Understanding outmigration in the Six Year Completion Rate.

A program provided in recognition of the unique rights of francophone parents under section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. French is the language of instruction for this program and English can be considered to meet the second language requirement in Grades 5 to 8 for students in the program.

Programme francophone is only offered by the Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique (CSF, School District 093), a public school district present in many locations throughout the province.

Grade 12 students completing secondary school may be eligible for scholarships and awards from the Ministry of Education. These monies can be used to assist in tuition for attendance at designated post-secondary institutions.

To participate in any of the Provincial Scholarships and Awards Programs, students must

• be Canadian citizens, or
• permanent residents of British Columbia, and
• meet graduation requirements.

International students or study permit students are not eligible for any of the provincial scholarships and awards.

Graduates can win:

• the Grade 12 Graduation Program Examinations Scholarship (which was called the Provincial Scholarship Program prior to school year 2006/2007)
• the District/Authority Scholarships (called the District Scholarship Program prior to 2006/2007)

There are also 2 specialty scholarships:

• the Secondary School Apprenticeship (SSA) Scholarship
• the Pathway to Teacher Education Scholarship.

Formerly, there the Passport to Education award stamps.

Note: Provincial examinations have been discontinued

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Significant changes took effect under the new BC Graduation Program (see 2018 Program). As of 2017/2018, the only provincial exams are those still required to meet the Language Arts 12 credits or the French Language 12 credits for the new BC Graduation Program. All other Provincial Examinations were discontinued after June 2016.

A specific type of provincial large-scale assessment designed to allow individual students to demonstrate they have met provincial graduation requirements, in accordance with a specific Graduation Program. Provincial examinations are typically held in November, January, April, June and August.

POLS is a public or independent provincial online learning school.

If a local online learning school doesn't have the
course or program students want, they can explore other options with provincial online learning schools.

A body of students, teachers, other staff, and facilities organized as a unit for educational purposes under the supervision of an administrative officer and administered by a district board of education. Types of public schools include standard, continuing education, and distributed learning schools (online learning).

For more information about the different types of BC public schools, see Facility Type.

The Satisfaction Survey was administered annually, between 2001/2002 and 2015/2016, to gather opinions from students, parents/guardians, and school staff on achievement, human and social development, and safety. It was intended to provide a source of information to identify and celebrate current strengths, as well as to determine where schools may need to focus improvement. The survey was kept brief and was understood as a starting point for more detailed examination and dialogue within schools. Some of the topic areas covered by the Satisfaction Survey include: Achievement, School climate, Healthy living, and Safety.

Significant changes were made to the Satisfaction Survey (SATS) starting in the 2016/2017 school year, and it is now known as the Student Learning Survey (SLS).

The School Act is the main piece of legislation guiding public education in British Columbia. For the independent school system, its legislative counterpart is the Independent School Act.

See British Columbia School Completion Certificate ("Evergreen") or School Completion Certificate Program (SCCP).

The final five numbers of the Ministry code (mincode), used to distinguish schools within a district.

See Mincode.

The specific school to which an event or outcome is to be attributed. For example, Provincial Examinations or Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA) results. The rules of attribution are dependent upon the data set in question.

All students must take a second language as part of the curriculum in Grades 5 to 8, except for the following two situations:

• A student has been identified as having special needs or is receiving English Language Learning (ELL) services and is unable to demonstrate learning in relation to the expected learning outcomes of the second language course.

• A student is enrolled in Late French Immersion in Grade 6.

Boards of education decide which second languages will be offered. Core French will be the language offered if the board does not offer an alternative. All students, especially those of Aboriginal ancestry, should have opportunities to learn an Aboriginal language. The Ministry of Education encourages opportunities for all students to learn languages that are significant within their communities.

Although the Ministry collects information on Grade 5 to 8 students enrolled in Core French, very little information is available on student participation in other second language courses. Information is collected about a student who is enrolled in an Aboriginal Language and Culture Program but no further details are provided.

The proportion of students who graduate, with a British Columbia Certificate of Graduation ("Dogwood") or a British Columbia Adult Graduation Diploma ("Adult Dogwood"), within six years from the first time they enrol in Grade 8, adjusted for migration in and out of British Columbia. A six-year rate provides students with an additional year beyond the five years required to move through Grades 8-12.

Six-year completion rates are not produced at the school level, as outmigration adjustments (to account for students leaving the province) cannot be estimated from Ministry data. The district in which a student last attended school in Years 1 through 6 is assigned to the district cohort from which the Six-Year Completion Rate is determined.

For a more information, see Completion Rate or the Friendly Guide to the Completion Rate.

Until June 2020, the Ministry reported on the performance of students in the following select Special Needs Categories only:

Sensory Disabilities

Category E – Visual Impairment (Level 2 supplemental funding*)

Category F – Deaf or Hard of Hearing (Level 2 supplemental funding*)

Learning Disabilities

Category Q – Learning Disability

Behaviour Disabilities

Category H – Intensive Behaviour Intervention/Serious Mental Illness (Level 3 supplemental funding*)

Category R – Moderate Behaviour Support/Mental Illness

The selections and their groupings are based on historical analysis of program participation and outcomes. More information about all existing categories can be found in the Special Education Services: Manual of Policies, Procedures, and Guidelines, Section E.

For information about funding, see the K-12 Funding - Special Needs policy.

Going forward, the Ministry is reporting on all 12 Special Needs Categories.

Special Needs Categories are established within the Special Education Services: Manual of Policies, Procedures, and Guidelines to assist school districts in identifying student needs, providing appropriate educational programs, and to identify criteria to report students for supplemental funding*. The current ‘categorical’ system is not intended to specifically identify all medically diagnosed conditions and syndromes that may have an impact on student needs and educational program. Detailed information on each of the categories may be found within the Special Education Services Category Checklists - 2010. The categories and reporting codes are summarized below:

A - Physically Dependent

B - Deafblind

C - Moderate to Profound Intellectual Disability

D - Physical Disability or Chronic Health Impairment

E - Visual Impairment

F - Deaf or Hard of Hearing

G - Autism Spectrum Disorder

H - Intensive Behaviour Interventions or Serious Mental Illness

K - Mild Intellectual Disabilities

P - Gifted

Q - Learning Disability

R - Students Requiring Behaviour Support or Students with Mental Illness

*For information about funding, see the K-12 Funding - Special Needs policy.

A student can be identified in only one of the Special Needs Categories by a school, even if they have multiple special needs. However, students may be identified in a different category from one data collection period to the next.

The Ministry's policy is to report on all 12 special needs categories unless stated otherwise.