Key Highlights of BC School Grading System
- The British Columbia grading system will be different in 2025 for kindergarten to Grade 9 students. The report cards will use a proficiency scale instead of the old letter grade system.
- For Grades 10 to 12, the BC grading scale will not change. Letter grades and scores will still be shown on report cards. They will remain important for GPA and getting into universities.
- Teachers will give comments with the proficiency scale. This helps parents and students know where the learning is and how students’ skills grow. You can read words like “emerging,” “developing,” “proficient,” and “extending” on the report cards.
- Education minister Rachna Singh says the new report cards show how students learn and grow, and not only what marks they get. The focus is on learning and development.
- The British Columbia grading system is not like the systems in some other provinces. It uses a proficiency scale for younger grades, and still keeps a strong letter grade system for older students.
- In BC school districts, GPA and letter grades are a big part of high school and college. The grading system helps make everything feel steady in all schools and fits what universities need.
Introduction
British Columbia is making some changes to the grading system. Starting in the 2025 school year, you will notice things are different in many schools in this part of Canada. The new grading system uses a new proficiency scale for younger students. Older students will still have the same BC grading scale that was used before.
The new grading system helps parents, students, and teachers get more out of the report cards. It tells everyone about how students grow, what skills they learn, and how they are doing, not just by giving a number or a letter grade. This also makes it simple for students and families to know how to move from one school to another.
The new way of grading also helps students in British Columbia when they plan for university or start thinking about what to learn in the future. It is good for all people living in this Canadian province to stay updated about the changes to the grading system.
Understanding the BC School Grading System in 2025
The BC school grading system has a few ways to show how students are doing. For students in kindergarten to Grade 9, schools use a new way to grade. This is called the proficiency scale. It takes the place of the old letter grade system. The ministry of education made this change to focus more on the ways students learn and gain new skills, sometimes called competencies.
When students get to Grade 10 through Grade 12, the grading system goes back to using percentages and letter grades. This helps students in older grades find out their GPA and use the grades when applying to college.
How does this grading system change how you do in school? It is good to know what path you are on and where you stand. The grading methods be different for each group, so let’s look at how grading works for every student.
Overview of the New Proficiency Scale vs. Traditional Letter Grades
Recent updates to the British Columbia grading system mean that younger students are now graded using a proficiency scale. The new grading system has a proficiency scale system with four levels. These levels are called emerging, developing, proficient, and extending. The words on this scale show how well a student gets the key parts of their lessons. The grading system helps to show how students build and be better at their skills over time. It is not there to just give one grade or mark.
If you see a student marked as “proficient,” it means they get the lesson well. A student marked as “extending” has shown that they know the skills so well that they can use them in many new ways. The British Columbia grading system helps people see the growth of students and the development of their skills, not just what score they get.
For high school students in Grades 10 to 12, the teachers use an old grading system. This method gives students letter grades like A, B, C+, C, or C-. Each grade comes from a set percentage range. The grading system helps people check results quickly. But it may not show what students know deep down or what they can really do.
Education Minister Rachna Singh says the new grading system helps students see their strengths. It also helps students find what they need to get better at. Brar, who teaches at UBC, says, “We want mastery of competencies and not just numbers.” This means the goal is for students to be good at the important skills, not just focus on a letter or number.
The British Columbia grading system and the new proficiency scale show students what they are good at. They also help students see the places where they can get better. This type of grading helps make learning and understanding stronger as the year goes on. The British Columbia grading system and proficiency scale make it easy for people to see their growth and progress.
Percentage-to-Letter Grade Conversion and What Each Proficiency Level Means
To understand the BC grading scale, you need to know about letter grades and skill levels. The letter grade system is clear. It is still used a lot for students in high school. Proficiency levels are also used. They help people see how well younger students are doing in all areas. This grading helps give a more full picture now. Here is how letter grades and skill levels fit together in the bc grading scale.
Percentage Range | Letter Grade | Proficiency Scale (K–9) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
86–100% | A | Extending | Sophisticated, in-depth understanding |
73–85% | B | Proficient | Complete understanding |
67–72% | C+ | Developing | Partial understanding; needs improvement |
60–66% | C | Developing | Partial understanding |
50–59% | C- | Emerging | Initial grasp of concepts |
0–49% | F/IE | Insufficient Evidence | Missing assignments, not enough information |
Each proficiency level helps you see how a student is doing in class. If someone is called “emerging,” they are only beginning to understand the material. When a student is “extending,” it shows they have skills that are better than most people in their grade. The words tell parents and teachers where to give the best help.
Grading Differences Across BC School Levels
There is now a big change in grading in BC public schools. The way grades are given now depends on the level of education. For students in elementary grades K–9, report cards now use a proficiency scale system. The proficiency scale is about how students are making progress in their learning and growing their skills, or what we call competencies.
But for students in secondary schools, or Grades 10–12, the old letter grade system is still used. Teachers also share percentages to help figure out a student’s GPA.
All school districts have changed the way they grade over the last few years, doing it step by step. Because of this, you need to know what grading method each group uses. This helps you read your report cards and understand if your grades are on a proficiency scale or a letter grade system. When you know this, you will get how grading works in your school district. You will also know what the grades say about your proficiency.
Elementary Schools: Proficiency Scale Adoption and Its Impact
Students in British Columbia who are in kindergarten up to grade 9 now get their grades through the proficiency scale. The ministry of education does not use letter grades anymore. Now, the way to grade is about how students speak, the growth that each one has, and their way of thinking. This new way of grading is based on research. The aim is to help all students do their best.
The best thing about the new grading system is that it shows how students get better and how they learn. The grading is not only about numbers or letter grades. Teachers can see if students improve as time goes on. But some parents do not really get this new grading system. For instance, just 36% say they know what “emerging” means when they see it on a report card. A few parents and teachers feel the new grades may not be as clear as the old letter grading. Still, many think the proficiency scale helps students set goals and see what they need to improve.
Education minister Rachna Singh says report cards let parents and caregivers see how the students are doing. This helps them get ready to help students do well in school. The new proficiency scale points out what students are good at and where they can do better. Singh wants the new way to help students feel good about their work and help them get better as time goes on.
Secondary & Post-Secondary Schools: Letter Grades, GPAs, and Transition Considerations
In Grades 10 to 12, students in BC still get marks with the letter grade system. The BC GPA is built by using these letter grades. On report cards, you will see both percentage scores and letter grades. These marks are very important if you want to go to college or university. If you get between 86% and 100% on your report card, you earn an A. This A really helps with your overall BC GPA.
Schools like UBC and SFU ask for the letter grade system with GPAs when students apply. The new proficiency scale is not used for students after Grade 9. So, it does not change what you need for college or university. Canadian post-secondary schools want the grading system to stay clear for everyone and to stay the same.
If you look at provinces like Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, students get percent scores for their letter grades in high school. In BC, the grading is different. The proficiency scale is only there for Grades K to 9.
Your child moves from the proficiency scale used at elementary school to the grading system used at high school without any problem. This helps your child get used to the canadian grading system. It does not matter where you live, your child will feel ready for college or university, and be prepared for the next step with the new grading system in canada.
Conclusion
In the end, it is good for students and parents to know about the grading system in British Columbia. The new proficiency scale shows what students can do and not just the numbers. This helps people think more about growth and not only about grades. If you understand the grading system, the proficiency scale, and how GPA works in school, you can help your child at any stage. This is important for the elementary, secondary, and post-secondary years.
As we get closer to 2025, it is a good idea for you to know about updates to the British Columbia grading system. This can help you stay on track and feel ready for what comes next in your studies. If you want to learn more about the grading system or the proficiency scale used in British Columbia, or if you have questions about what this change means for your child’s college plans, our expert team is here to help you. You can talk for free with us. We want to make sure you and your family feel good about these new grading and proficiency steps in British Columbia.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How does descriptive feedback work on BC report cards?
Descriptive feedback on BC report cards now follows the new grading system and uses the proficiency scale. It shows how students are doing at school. On the report cards, you will see comments from teachers that use proficiency terms. This helps families know what their child does well and where they need help. The grading system is not only about marks. It is here to help with learning. A report card and grading use the proficiency scale in a new way to look at each student’s skills.
2. Are BC universities affected by changes in K-12 grading systems?
The BC university grading system stays the same. Students in grades K–9 are graded using a proficiency scale. When they reach grades 10–12, they get letter grades and a GPA. The universities use these grading scores to look at their applicants. This grading system makes sure every student, whether they are from here or another country, is graded in the same way. So, the grading system in BC is clear and fair for all.
3. How can parents help their children improve within the new grading framework?
Parents can help children do well with the new grading system in British Columbia. You can read the feedback from the teachers. Try to learn what the words in grading and proficiency mean. Talk to your child about what they learn at school. Help them set goals. Keep in touch with their teachers. Doing these things will help your children get better at new skills. Your kids will feel more sure of themselves as they get used to the new grading system. These simple steps do matter. They can change how your child feels about their learning and their competencies.
