Parents questioning Quebec Education Ministry grading system

Olivier Boulerice's family says he's a hard-working student, and after years of dedication in high school, his ministry exams went well.

Now, however, he may have to repeat a class because of what some call the Quebec Education Ministry's controversial grading system.

"He did his job as a student to pass his year, pass his exams, and he still failed," said Olivier's father, Philippe Boulerice. "So he's very angry."

Boulerice is on the autism spectrum.

Documents sent by his family show he passed his science and technology exam with a 62 per cent.

His final mark, however, was 59 per cent.

That's because of the ministry's grade moderation system, which adjusts school marks in relation to exam grades and aims to bring more equity to the evaluation of students. This grading practice has been applied in Quebec since 1974.

"They have to review that moderation process, it's unfair to some students," his father said. "It's unfair to the students, their parents, children, everybody."

Boulerice is in a special class with nearly 10 students at Jean-Baptise-Meilleur school in Repentigny.

His family says the ministry has failed him and others in his situation.

The ministry's website says that while the grading system allows for adjusting marks upwards or downwards, it never results in the failure of a student who would have passed otherwise.

In an email to CTV News, a ministry spokesperson said the ministry is studying the situation, and it's too early to draw conclusions. The spokesperson added the process isn't perfect, but work has begun and is ongoing to see how it can be improved.   

Boulerice and his parents just hope improvements can be applied to his case.