In June 2020 the BC School Trustees Association (BCSTA) posted an updated Guide to School Legislation in British Columbia. These Guides contains factual summaries of the key legislation that governs education in BC. 

The Guide contains factual summaries of the key legislation that governs education in BC. In each subject area, the Guide contains an overview of the legislation in simple, basic terms, and includes references to the relevant sections of Acts, Regulations and Orders. Many sections include context information (e.g. statistics, history) to help the reader understand how the legislation connects to the school system.

This Guide contains many references to enactments: Acts, Bills, Regulations, Ministerial orders. Readers who wish to consult the primary sources may wish to consult the Ministry of Education’s Manual of School Law which includes most of these enactments. Another helpful resource for BC legislation is the BC Laws website. The Guide is a non-legal summary published for informational and educational purposes only. It is not a legal text, and persons with specific questions or who are faced with particular situations should seek qualified legal advice.

Below are the guides most relevant to parents/guardians and families.

Part 1 - The Student and the School

Part 2 - Parents and Community

Part 3 - The Teacher

Part 4 - Non-Teaching Employees

Part 5 - Board of Education

Part 6 - School Trustees

Part 7 - The Ministry of Education

Part 8 - Board Finance and Property

Part 12 - Indigenous Education

Appendix - Acts & Resources

We have put all the information you need regarding Assessments and information on obtaining student results here in one location.

Assessment Information on Ministry website

Understanding Provincial Assessment

GRADE 10

Grade 10 Numeracy Assessment Information including what it looks like, sample questions and activities, workbooks and videos

Grade 10 Literacy Assessment Information including what it looks like, sample questions and activities, workbooks and videos

Grade 10 Graduation Numeracy Assessment: Specifications

Grade 10 Graduation Literacy Assessment Fact Sheet

Grade 10 Graduation Literacy Assessment: Specifications

GRADE 12

Grade 12 Literacy Assessment Information including design specifications and resources

Grade 12 Literacy Assessment: Specifications

To see and download a copy of your child's results for either the Gr10 or Gr12 Assessments -

1. Go to www.studenttranscripts.gov.bc.ca (don't be thrown by the info re transcripts, you are on the right page)

2. Click on Current Student

3. Then either Register for a Basic Account or Login if you already have one. You will need your child's information as noted on the page.

4. You will receive an email via the email you entered (should be child's). Click the link in the email to confirm

5. Then you can login and you will see Assessments and Results among other items in the Dashboard. You can view or download PDF.

The Framework for Enhancing Student Learning Policy and accompanying Enhancing Student Learning Reporting Order came into effect September 1, 2020.

Summary of New K-12 Public Education Financial Planning and Reporting Policy and Accumulated Operating Surplus Policy (May 2021)

Background

The Independent Panel of the K-12 Provincial Education Funding Model Review made 22 recommendations to improve accountability, financial management and equity in the K-12 education sector. Government accepted the recommendations and launched Phase 1 of the implementation plan in February 2020. The two new financial management policies are part of the Phase 1 actions. Ministry of Education staff worked closely with the Financial Management Committee, (6 representatives from the BC Association of School Business Officials and one from the First Nations Education Steering Committee) to co-develop and finalize both policies. Ministry staff have also consulted with the BC School Trustees Association, BC School Superintendents Association and Métis Nation BC to finalize the policies.

What Do the New Policies Mean for School Boards?

• Most boards are already doing what the policies require so there are no significant changes for them. The policies present an opportunity to revisit existing policies, procedures and reporting to strengthen board processes in financial management.
• There will be a phased, supported implementation of both policies with no change to reporting for 2020/21 or planning for 2021/22. The Ministry will provide direction on what needs to be done, and when, including guidelines and education for district staff and trustees on what the changes mean.

The K-12 Public Education Financial Planning and Reporting Policy

The K-12 Public Education Financial Planning and Reporting Policy directs boards to develop multi-year financial plans that identify how funding and resources will support board strategic plans, operational needs of school districts and improved educational outcomes for students. The Ministry will provide guidance and resources, as needed, to help boards build and maintain multi-year financial plans.

To enable greater transparency, boards must develop, publish and maintain a local board policy that describes how they will engage with and report out to education partner and stakeholder groups, including local First Nations and Metis Nation BC, on their multi-year financial plans.

The Ministry has a robust annual school district financial reporting framework the boards use to meet their reporting requirements as specified in the School Act and to align with the Budget Transparency and Accountability Act. Boards will use this existing financial reporting framework to annually report on boards’ progress towards meeting board objectives as outlined in their multi-year financial plans (i.e., enhanced student educational outcomes and other operational needs of the school board).

The K-12 Public Education Accumulated Operating Surplus Policy

The K-12 Public Education Accumulated Operating Surplus Policy ensures consistency, transparency and accountability for the use and reporting of operating funding that is not used in the year in which it was provided. It acknowledges that it is appropriate for boards to maintain an operating surplus to manage financial risk and the accumulation and holding of appropriate operating surpluses by school districts is a component of sound financial and strategic planning.

The policy outlines the process for the accumulation, spending and reporting of operating surplus funds and the boards’ engagement with their local community and education-partner groups, including local First Nations and Métis Nation BC so they are aware of the process. It requires boards to monitor and report on their management of operating surplus and provides information and guidelines to boards around operating surplus categories.

The policy ensures that when boards restrict surplus funds it is done for specific purposes with identified timelines. It also creates a mechanism for boards, if they wish, to set aside funding for approved capital projects after other priorities have been addressed.

The Enhancing Student Learning Policy and Ministerial Order will hold boards of education more accountable and ensure student outcomes are the focus of their strategic and operational plans. We encourage parents/guardians to read both documents. 

Improve educational outcomes for all students
Boards of education will set, create and maintain a strategic plan, annually report on student outcomes and put systems in place to continuously improve the educational outcomes for all students and improve equity for Indigenous students, children and youth in care, and students with disabilities or diverse abilities.

Focus on The Educated Citizen
The preamble to the School Act and the Statement of Education Policy Order (Mandate for the School System) states, the purpose of the British Columbia school system is to enable all learners to become literate, to develop their individual potential and to acquire the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to contribute to a healthy, democratic and pluralistic society and a prosperous and sustainable economy. To achieve this purpose, we have a collective mandate to develop the Educated Citizen defined as the intellectual, human and social and career development of every student.

Enable through capacity building, strategic planning, coordinated implementation and reporting
In order to ensure a system-wide focus on continuously improving educational outcomes for all students, this policy specifies the responsibilities for the Ministry and boards of education with respect to strategic planning and reporting of educational outcomes. The policy also identifies ways that the Ministry, boards, Indigenous peoples and other education partners can contribute to improving educational outcomes in the K-12 education system.

REMINDER: DPAC Shared Zoom licenses will be discontinued on June 30, 2022.

We do not anticipate these licenses being made available again for the 2022-23 school year.

As part of our ongoing efforts to support district and school PACs and their parent communities, BCCPAC has secured Zoom Education licenses for DPACs/PACs across the province to be able to host virtual meetings during the pandemic. BCCPAC manages the distribution of the licenses to the DPACs, who then administer the management of the licenses within their district and share them between their PACs.

Key Points:

• Each Education license can host up to two meetings concurrently, with no time limits, for up to 300 attendees.
• Available Zoom services include: Polls, Q&A, Chat, Muting, Reactions, Feedback, Recordings.
• DPAC designates a DPAC Zoom Administrator to manage/schedule the use of their license(s), to ensure fair and equitable use for all PACs in their district.
• The licenses are available for use until the end of June 2022, at no cost to the DPACs/PACs.

Licenses are to be managed by the DPAC and shared with the PACs in their district. There is no cost to you or your PACs to use these licenses; DPACs are not to charge the PACs for the use of them. We have not restricted these shared licenses to our members but have made them freely available to all PACs via the DPACs. We do hope however, that both your DPAC and PACs will find their way to support BCCPAC by retaining membership with us, in support of the work we do on behalf of all public school families.

How to Request a License

Have your DPAC Chair/President send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the contact information of your DPAC Zoom Administrator, including their name, email address and phone number, and an email address for each license (Example: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). Important: if the email address used for a license already has a Zoom account connected to it, a “request to transfer” the license into the BCCPAC account will be initiated (you’ll receive an email requesting your approval to complete the transfer).

Districts without a DPAC

We are aware of a few districts where the DPAC is non-operational at this time. If your District does not have an active DPAC currently, encourage a parent to volunteer for the Zoom Administrator role in your district by contacting our office (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Shared License Best Practices:

• Read the DPAC Zoom Shared License Guide
• DPAC Zoom Administrator is responsible for managing a fair and equitable schedule for the use of each Zoom license.
• Licenses are ONLY to be used for DPAC/PAC-related meetings, as per your Administrator’s schedule, to prevent conflicts.
• Have each PAC designate a Zoom Rep – this is the person from whom you will accept meeting requests and to whom you may share the license/account login information (unless you prefer to retain that information and start all meetings manually).
• Share the DPAC Zoom Shared License Guide with each PAC in your District and provide them with instructions for requesting use of the license from you.
• Check out Zoom’s support articles

Here are a few methods DPACs are using to share the licenses with their PACs:

1. DPAC shares the license login information to PACs directly (Zoom account username/password). The main concern with this method is that someone may use the license, intentionally or unintentionally, when they are not scheduled to do so and could interfere with another PAC’s meeting.
2. Same as #1, but DPAC changes the password after each PAC meeting, to prevent any conflicts. An effective way to use this option would be to assign a single password to each PAC.
3. DPAC retains Zoom license login and manually starts each meeting, only staying in the meeting long enough to pass the Host privileges to the appropriate PAC member. If you choose this option:
   1. Recommend the new Host upgrade one of their Participants to Co-host status in case they “drop” the meeting (eg. lose their internet connection). Without a Co-host, they would have to get in touch with DPAC to restart the meeting.
   2. Consider having a few volunteers you trust with the login info so you’re not the only person starting all these meetings.

Contact your DPAC for information on how to reserve and use the shared licenses.

Our DPAC Summit is an opportunity for DPAC leaders from across the province to gather, connect, discuss and network. Thanks to all who attended for making our 2019 event another resounding success! We appreciate you taking time away from your family to join us. We strongly encourage you to share the information you learned at the Summit and these presentations with your PACs and parents.

Personal Education Number (PEN) - Ministry of Ed

Funding Model Review and Inclusive Education - Ministry of Ed

The Partnership Model: Before/After School Care

Framework for Enhanced Student Learning - Ministry of Ed

Getting Parent Input - Immunization and Your Family - Ministry of Health

Membership is So Valuable it Won't Fit in your Hand - BCCPAC

DPAC PAC Issues with Solutions & Resolutions - The Good, the Bad & the Ugly - BCCPAC

PAC & DPAC Issues and Solutions Table Work - BCCPAC