S.08-93
S ?
OFPICI OF FIlE
ASSOC'IAi F VICE PPFSIJ)E'1 AC;.\DE N
I T C AND ASSOC!:\TF ?
T'OVSi
INXUM
ATTENTION ?
Senate
FROM ?
Bit[ Krane, Chair
Senate Committee on Undergraduate Studies
I
RE ?
BC 12 Provincial Exam Requirements (SCUS 08-121
I
DATE ?
June 16. 2008
Action undertaken by the Senate Committee on Undergraduate Studies at its
meeting of June 10, 2008, gives rise to the following recommendation:
is
Motion:
"that Senate approve that BC 12 students not be required to write optional BC
Provincial Grade 12 examinations for admission other than those required for
graduation. If written, grades from the optional provincial examinations would
be used only if they increase a student's admission average."
SIMON FI1ASEIt UNIVERSITY ?
THIKNG OF
THE WORLD
C
ATTENTION
Bill Krane, Chair,
Senate Committee on Undergraduate Studies
FROM
Mehran Kiai. Director of Enrollment Services
cc:
Kate Ross, Registrar & Senior Director, Enrollment Services
RE
Provincial Examination Requirements
0
0
Student Services
MBC 3000
8888 University Drive
Burnaby, BC V5A1S6
Canada
DATE
Ma y
30,
2008
Background
The Canadian admission landscape has significantly changed with the decision by the BC Ministry of Education in 2006
that provincial exams in grade
12
would be optional with the exception of English 12 (or alternative Language Arts 12).
in January 7,
2008,
Senate moved into a "Committee of the Whole" to discuss a proposed change to admission
requirements with regard to BC Provincial Grade 12 Examinations. Questions, comments, and suggestions were raised
during the discussion of this issue leading to the request for more information and data. Please see Appendix A for a list
of questions and the related responses.
Issues
• ?
The Competitive Environment of Recruitment:
SFU has experienced profound changes in the student recruitment environment in the past few years. Where there was
once more than one qualified applicant for every available seat, with declining BC high school graduates and a hot
employment market, we are now in direct competition for qualified students with universities and colleges within BC
and across Canada. SFU's current practices and policies of admission require a carefi.il review to respond to the intense
nature of recruitment.
With the change in BC Ministry's policy, Ontario universities were the first to eliminate the requirement for optional
exams to gain a competitive edge in order to retain their share of BC graduates. Recent data from the Student
Transition Project of BC, shows that the number of direct entry BC high school graduates who have not enrolled in a
BC post-secondary institution and instead, have enrolled in Ontario universities has grown.
Recently, University of British Columbia Senate decided that beginning in 2009, applicants will not be required to
write the optional provincial examinations offered by the BC Ministry of Education (BC Provincial Examinations)
other than those required for graduation. University of Victoria Senate, earlier this year, made a similar decision. Most
universities in jurisdictions outside of BC have opted to eliminate the requirement of provincial exams for admission.
Please see the list of selected universities in Appendix B. SFU is currently the onl
y
comprehensive-research university
in British Columbia that requires provincial exams for admission.
Students faced with making a decision to choose a university over another will take into consideration the added
requirement of writing additional provincial exams. Recent data from SFU Applicant Survey reveals that 45% qualified
applicants who declined SFU offer of admission in 2007, chose to go to UBC instead. Next year, SFU stands to loose
an even larger percentage of qualified students to UBC and other universities if it does not respond to the changes in
their admission policies.
Fairness to Students:
Students expect consistency of treatment from universities. Having two comprehensive-research universities in BC not
require the exams while SFU continues to require optional exams would be seen as unfair and inconsistent. This has
SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
?
THINKING OF THE WORLD
also been the consistent feedback received from high school counsellors who have requested that we have a common
approach to
provincial
exams. Even with the recent improvement in the admission process using interim marks, because
of the provincial exams. there is still an implied date much later in the summer for admission decisions to be finalized.
Currently, students from other jurisdictions and college students are not required to write the BC provincial
examinations. By dropping this requirements for BC 12 students, we treat all applicants with the same degree of
fairness and equity.
By eliminating the requirement for provincial exams, SFU becomes more competitive with BC universities and other
Canadian universities and will be better positioned to attract and recruit the best and the brightest students.
Recommendation
The optional BC Provincial examination results no longer be required for admission to the University for BC 12
students. Provincial examination results will be required for any subject where the examination is a mandatory
requirement for high school graduation. If optional BC Provincial examinations are written, the results from them
would be used only if they increased a student's admission average.
I
.
2
Appendix A
On January 7, 2008 the paper titled, "Change to admission requirements with regard to BC
Provincial Grade 12 Examinations" (Paper S.08-1 0) was discussed at Senate. This appendix
contains information in response to certain questions that were raised in the course of that
discussion.
1. What is the general quality of incoming BC 12 Direct Entry Students at SFU?
Using the average admission GPA in the Fall semester as an indication of quality of students, Figure
1 indicates that the overall average admission GPA varies year by year and ranges from 3.33 to 3.47
between Fall 1997 and Fall 2007.
Figure 1:
[]
Admission GPA Trends by Faculty among BC12 (red
Entry Studerts Admitted in the Fall Term
-4--
P11
?
APSC -*- ARTS -4E-- BUS -*- Sd
. ............
BC12 Fail Adrmts
3.9
3.0-
1997 ?
1998 1999 2000 2001 ?
2002 2003 ?
2004
?
2005 2006 2007
Ail
3.34 ?
3.35
3.43 3.35 1 ? 3.43 ?
3.35
3.47 ?
3.33 ?
3.36 3.36 3.29
TAPSC
3.64 ?
3.72 3.76 3.76 3.74 ?
3.62 3.33 ?
3.22 ?
3.24 3.26 3.23
-*-ARTS
3031
?
3.25 3.37
3.26 3.35
?
3.29
3.45 I
?
3.31 ?
3.38
3.35 3.25
ZQ
3.68 ?
3.71
3.70 ?
3.51 ?
352 3.51
3.53
-*--sdi
.
1 ?
3.33 1 ?
3.34
-
3.38 3.34 3.42
?
3.35 3.56
?
3.39
?
3.42 3.38 3.31
Year
0
P
2.
?
How does the admission GPA of SFU students compare with students attending
at UBC and at UVic?
Figure 2 shows the number and per cent ofBCl2 Direct Entry students to SFU, UBC and UVic
by year of graduation and grade distribution (source: Student Transition Project'). The grade
bracket with the highest percent distribution is 80 - 85 for SFU and UVic compared to 85 - 90 for
UBC.
Figure
2:
Admission grade distribution of BC 12 Direct Entry students at SFU, UBC and UVIC.
?
2005/06 and 2006/07
40%
35%
300/o
25%
/
20%
?
i i---- ?
\
15%
100/0
5%
0%
60-65 ?
65-70 ?
70-75 ?
75-80
?
80-85 ?
85-90 ?
90-95 ?
95-100
— O —
SFU 2005/2006
?
0 UBC 2005/2006 ? -- UVIC 2005/2006
—
9--SFU 2006/2007
?
—4i—UBC 2006/2007 ? —0—UVJC 2006/2007
Source: STP
Of all the students admitted to SFU, UBC and UVic, the total percentage of students who had
admission GPA of between 90 - 100 was 21% and 20% in 2005/06 and 2006/07 respectively.
Compared to UBC, SFU admits a significantly lower percentage of the students with grades
between 90 and 100 between 2002/03 and 2006/07. Table 1 indicates the distribution of students
at the three universities with adnussion grades that are between 90 - 100 and by year of adrmssion.
.
Please note that the most current STP data available is for the 2006/07 admission year.
4
Table 1:
SFU
UBC
UVIC
Year
90-100
% of all 90-100
90-100
% of all 90-100
90-100
% of all 90-100
2002/2003
204
16%
870
68%
201
16%
2003/2004
320
19%
1071
64%
288
17%
2004/2005
249
16%
1034
65%
303
19%
2005/2006
275
17%
1077
66%
281
17%
2006/2007
283
17%
1101
67%
1 ?
265
16%
Source: STP
What is the relationship between high school admission grades and student
performance at SFU?
Institutional Research and Planning (IRP) modeled a study after one conducted. at UBC using
provincial examination, course, and blended admission grades to address the following three sub-
questions.
a. To what extent are provincial examination (exam-only) and course-only grades
associated with one another in BC Grade 12 subjects?
For this question, IRP selected the seven most commonly taken subjects in Grade 12, namely:
•
?
• Biology (Biol 12);
• Chemistry (Chem 12);
• Geography (Geog 12);
• English (Eng 12);
• History (Hist 12);
• Principles of Mathematics (Math 12); and
• Physics (Phys 12).
Within each of these subjects, an analysis was conducted to determine the degree of association
between the exam-only and course-only grades of a sample of students admitted directly from BC
Grade 12 between Fall 2003 and Summer 2007 (i.e., new admits from each of the twelve
semesters). The sample included 8,839 students.2
Figure 3 below shows the degree of association between exam-only and course-only grades by
subject. The percentages in the table are the measures of association: each of the percentages
represents the percentage of variation in one grade type that can be explained by the other grade
type for each subject. For example, for Math 12, the degree of association between exam-only and
course-only grades is 54%. In other words, 54% of variability in the exam-only grades can be
explained by course-only grades and vice versa.
Figure
3:
.
?
2 For the analysis of 30-credit CGPA below, the sample included 6,375 students who had been admitted between Fall
2003 and Summer 2005 because it is unlikely that cohorts admitted after Summer 2005 would have completed 30
credits.
5
Squared Correlation between Course and Exam Grades b
y
Subject:
0 /c
Variabilit
y Explained:
BC12 Direct Entry, Admitted 1037 to 1074
?
0
0/,,
Variability Explained
Sample Size
Math 12
Biol 12
54.2%
51.3%
9522
5769
Chem 12
Phys 12
51.2%
46.1%
6650
3993
EngI
12
Hist 12
39.2%
1
?
36.2%
9941
3041
Geog 12
1
?
28.4%
2938
The study found that course-only and exam-only grades are more strongly associated in
Mathematics and the sciences (i.e., Biology, Chemistry and Physics) than in English and the social
sciences (i.e. History and Geography). For the sciences (Biol 12, Chem 12 and Phys 12), 46% -
54% of the variability in the exam-only grades can be explained by course-only grades and vice
versa. In contrast, for English and the social sciences (Hist 12 and Geog 12), less than 40% of the
variability in the exam-only grades can be explained by course-only grades and vice versa.
b. How effective are the three types of grades (course-only, exam-only and
blended-course-and-exam) at predicting student success?
To answer this question, firstly, each student in the sample was assigned an average course-only,
exam-only and blended-course-and-exam admission grade based on four grade 12 subjects. The
subjects included: English, plus three other provincially examinable courses in which the student
achieved the highest blended-course-and-exam average grade. For example, if a student's highest
blended-grade average was calculated based on English, Math, Geography and Biology, the exam-
only and course-only averages were also calculated based on these subjects.
Second, analysis was conducted to determine the degree of association between each grade type and
academic performance at SFU using regression models. Academic performance at SFU was
measured using the following five performance measures:
On Academic Probation (OAP) within 2 years of admission;
Required to Withdraw (RTW) within 2 years of admission;
?
0
.
?
. Cumulative Grade point Average (CGPA) at the end of the first term;
• CGPA after completing 30 credits; and
Completion or persistence as of the Summer 2007 term.
The analysis indicates that the blended-course-and-exam average grade type is a better predictor of
student perfonriance compared to course-only and exam-only average grade types. This is
expected: models with blended grade types will provide better indicators because they contain more
info rmati oil.
Figure 4 indicates the degree of association between each of the three grade types and each of the
five SFU academic performance outcomes. The higher the percentage, the higher the association
and the better the average grade type is as a predictor of academic performance. When comparing
course-only and exam-only averages as predictors of academic performance, the analysis suggests
that the exam-only average is a slightly better indicator of OAP within
two
years and first term
CGPA. For the remaining three performance outcomes, RTW within 2 years, 30-credit CGPA
and Completion or Persisting, the course-only and exam-only averages exhibit similar association.
Figure 4:
% Variabilit y
of SFU Academic Performance Ex p
lained b
y
Admission Avg:
.
BC12
OAP Within
RTW Within
1st Term
30-Credit
Persisting or
Grade Type
2 Years
2 Years
CGPA
CGPA
Complete
by Course Avg
16.0%
9.9%
15.8%
29.8%
3.4%
by Exam Avg
18.5%
10.4%
18.1%
29.7%
3.2%
by Course Avg and Exam Avg
20.2%
11.9%
19.8%
34.1%
3.8%
Percentage of the Variability of 51W Academic Performance Explained
by the Three Types of Admission Average
III by Course Avg ?
Eby Exam Avg ?
0 by Course Avg and Exam Avg
40%
35%
Q
30%
30%30%
S
.25%
-
?
-
X
Lu
-.
190/0
t
0% ?
1 ?
-1
OAP Within ?
RTW Within ?
1st Term ?
30-Credit ?
Persisting or
2 Years
?
2 Years ? CGPA ?
CGPA ?
Complete
Note: For binary outcomes, such as OAP, RTW, and Persistence/Completion, the
Nagelkerke R-square is presented as an approximation of % variability explained.
IRP also plotted the relationships between the three types of average grades and performance at
SFU. The plots indicate that the shapes of these relationships are the same for all three grade types,
and show expected patterns. As admission average increases:
7
• The percentage of students who are OAP within two years decreases;
• The percentage of students who are RTW within two years decreases;
• The average first term CGPA increases;
• The average 30-credit CGPA increases; and
• The percentage of students who have graduated or are persisting at SFU increases.
c. Does the predictive effectiveness of the three types of grades vary by Faculty?
This question breaks down the analysis of SFU CGPA done in question 3b above by the following
Faculties:
• Applied Sciences (APSC);
• Arts and Social Sciences (ARTS);
• Business Administration (BUS); and
• Science (SCI).
Figures 5 and 6 below indicate the percentage of variability of the first term CGPA and the 30-
credit CGPA respectively that can be explained by each of the three average grade types by Faculty.
Generally, the analysis indicates a considerably higher level of association between admission
average and SFU CGPA at first term and after 30 credits among students in the Faculty of Science
than among students from other Faculties. As well, in both first term CGPA and 30-credit CGPA,
students in Arts and Social Sciences show a stronger relationship between admission average and the
SFU CGPA than do students admitted to the Faculties of Applied Sciences and Business
Administration. This may reflect the fact that few eligible grade 12 courses are related to business
and applied sciences.
Figure 5 indicates that when comparing
all
grade types, in all four Faculties, the percentage of
variability in first terni CGPA is best explained by the blended-course-and-exam average grade
type. Comparing the course-only and exam-only grade types, for students in the Faculties of
Business, Science and to a lesser extent Applied Sciences, the degree of association between first
term CGPA and exam-only average grades is stronger than between first tenn CGPA and course-
only average grades. For students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, the course-only and
exam-only average grades exhibit similar association.
C
8
Figure
5:
c
%
Variabilit
y
of Term 1
CGPA Explained b
y
Admission Avg,
by Faculty:
BC12 Grade
Type
APSC
ARTS
BUS
SCI
by Course Avg
10.9°Io
18.3%
11.6%
25.2%
by Exam Avg
12.0°h
18.7%
17.4%
29.4%
by Course Avg
and
Exam Avg
13.1%
22.2%
19.2%
32.4%
Percentage of the Variability of SFU 1st Term CGPA Explained
by the Three Types of Admission Average, by Faculty
by Course
Avg
?
Eby
Exam Avg
?
0 b
Course
Avg and Exam Avg
50%
40%
CL
LU
L
a
20%
i20tLii20iti
APSC
?
ARTS
?
BUS ?
SCI
Note: The Faculty is a students Faculty at admission.
Figure 6 indicates that when comparing
all
grade types, in
all
four Faculties, the percentage of
variability in the 30-credit CGPA is best explained by the blended-course-and-exam average grade
type. Comparing the course-only and exam-only grade types, for students in the Faculties of
Business and to lesser extent Science, the degree of association between 30-credit CGPA and exam-
only average grades is stronger than between 30-credit CGPA and course-only average grades. For
students in the Faculties of Applied Sciences and the Arts and Social Sciences, the course-only
average grades exhibit slightly stronger association than exam-only average grades.
0
Figure
6:
% Variabilit y
of 30-Credit CGPA Ex
p lained by
Admission
Av g
b y
Faculty:
BC12
Grade Type
APSC
ARTS
BUS
SCI
by Course Avg
26.0%
32.1%
212%
36.4%
by Exam Avg
24.1%
30.5%
25.9%
37.3%
by Course Avg and Exam Avg
28.2%
37.2%
31.1%
43.3%
Percentage of the Variability of SFU 30-Credit CGPA Explained ?
by the Three Types of Admission Average, by Faculty
El by Course Avg Oby Exam Avg Dby Course Avg and Exam Avg
50% -
?
—
?
---____________ _________ ?
___________
40°h ?
36°k
H
34f
CL
LU
11
::::
Ij
20%
'11__
APSC ?
ARTS ?
BUS ?
SCI
Note: The Faculty is a student's Faculty at admission.
In summary, firstly, the study concludes that course-only and exam-only grades are more strongly
associated in Mathematics and sciences than in English and the social sciences. Second, the three
BC 12 grade types examined all exhibit similar relationships with subsequent student academic
performance at SFU. Third, although including information from both grade types provides a
better indicator of success at SFU than looking at either type of grade alone, the improvement in
the percentage of the variability of SFU academic performance explained is quite small, varying
from 1% to 4%. Fourth, differences in percentage of variability are larger when looking at some
individual Faculties. For example, in the Faculties of Science and Business and for first term
CGPA, the improvement in the percentage of variability for blended-course-and-exam over
course-only average grades is over 7%.
A
S
.
10
Appendix B
Admissions Requirements Fall 2009- BC12 Provincial Exam
jurisdiction /University
?
Provincial ?
Future Plans/Remarks ?
Exams
required
BRITISH COLUMBIA
University of British Columbia
NO
They do not use the BCl2 provincial
exam results unless they are higher
than the course marks
University of Victoria
NO
They do not use the BC12 provincial
exam results unless they are higher
than the course marks
Thompson Rivers University
NO
Universit y
of Northern British
NO
Columbia
ALBERTA
University of Alberta
YES
dependent on BC Universities
University of Calgary
YES
dependent on BC Universities
ONTARIO
Queens University
NO
University of Toronto
NO
Trent University
NO
They do not use the BCl2 provincial
exam results unless they are higher
than the course marks
University of Waterloo
NO
University of Western Ontario
NO
They do not use the BC12 provincial
exam results unless they are higher
than the course marks
York University
NO
OTHER JURISDICTIONS
Dalhousie University
? NO
University of Guelph ?
NO
McGill University
?
NO
?
OPTIONAL
.
11