Alberta diploma exams will be worth 20% for 2022-23 school year

An empty classroom is shown. (Getty Images)

Diploma exams written by Alberta students this school year will only count for 20 per cent of their final marks.

The exams used to be worth half of students' end mark, but the Alberta government reduced the weight of diplomas from 50 per cent to 30 per cent in 2015.

During the 2020-21 school year, the province made all diploma exams optional as students dealt with the challenges presented from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Then, for the 2021-22 school year, the government cancelled January diploma exams and said all remaining diploma exams for the year would weigh just 10 per cent.

On Monday, Alberta's UCP government announced exams would be worth 20 per cent for the 2022-23 school year, returning to 30 per cent in the 2023-24 school year.

Education Minister Adriana LaGrange says the decision comes after she spoke with more than 40 public, separate and francophone school boards and other stakeholders.

The Alberta School Boards Association (ASBA) says it is pleased with the decision.

"This will assist in relieving additional pressures while boards prioritize success of all students," ABSA president Marilyn Dennis said.

Diploma exams are normally administered in November, January, April, June and August.