Provincial Achievement Tests (PATs)
Provincial Achievement Tests or P.A.T.s for short are exams taken in grades 6 and 9 by almost all students of the province in the subject areas of mathematics, sciences, language arts, and social studies. They are based on the Exams are administered in both French and English.
Diploma Examinations
Diploma Examinations or Diplomas for colloquial use are exams taken in some 30 level courses and are administered in both French and English. The diploma Examinations are worth 30% of a student's final grade as of 2015, before which the exams were weighted as 50% of a student's grade. Alberta is unique among the province in that it requires these exams.
International Examinations
Alberta works, like many Canadian provinces, with national, international, and interprovincial organizations.
Programme for International Student Assessment
The Programme for International Student Assessment or PISA's, is a worldwide study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in member and non-member nations of 15-year-old school pupils' scholastic performance on mathematics, science, and reading. Canada takes part in the studies and the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada releases reports stating the individual provinces scores. Reports can be found here. While Alberta used to have some of the highest scores in the world its scores have since been steadily decreasing. Critics like the Alberta Teachers' Association says that the tests are unfair as they do not highlight other strengths and that other countries teach to the test while Albertan teachers are required to teach the curriculum.