Alternative formats (not available for spring 2026)
PCAP aims to be as inclusive as possible, and all students are encouraged to participate. If a student has the cognitive ability to understand the assessment instructions and to respond to the assessment, they should participate. The goal is to have as many students as possible participate in PCAP to provide a complete picture of the range of student achievement among Grade 8/Secondary II students.
Individual exemptions
The principal may exempt any student for whom the assessment may be detrimental or if the available accommodations do not meet their needs. A student should not be exempted solely due to poor academic performance, typical behavioural challenges, or self-regulation concerns.
Class exemptions
The principal may exempt a whole class if and only if a qualified staff person has assessed each student in the class and has determined that all the students have a special education need (SEN) code, and that all these students should not participate as a result of a lack of appropriate accommodations.
For more information, please see Special education needs (SEN) codes.
NOTE
Audio/text-to-speech (Code A), Braille (Code B), and large print (Code L) alternative formats will not be available for the spring 2026 PCAP .
Three alternative formats are available for the spring 2027 main study: Braille and large print will be available for all sections of the assessment. Audio (text-to-speech) will be available only during the science and mathematics sections of the assessment. To request one of the alternative formats, record the corresponding code on the Student Identification Form for each student requiring an alternative format:
- Code A – audio
- Code B – Braille
- Code L – large print
If you have already submitted the Student Identification Form but now need to request an alternative format, please contact CMEC at pcap-ppce@cmec.ca at least two weeks prior to your selected assessment date.