Accommodations
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.
The PCAP uses a sans-serif font to support students with dyslexic reading needs. As well, available to all students, is a built-in toolbar. Please see the table below for more details.
Please note that text-to-speech is not permitted as an alternative format during the upcoming spring 2026 PCAP.
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Resources offered to ALL students
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A built-in tool bar with a variety of digital tools and formatting options
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Zoom In/Zoom Out
The font size of the scenario texts and questions can be adjusted.
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Line Reader
A line reader tool can assist with visual tracking and with blocking distractions while reading.
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Freehand, Draw Line, and Highlighter
A freehand drawing tool, a line drawing tool, and a highlighter tool can be used on the scenario text and questions.
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Eraser
An eraser to remove unwanted additions.
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Background Colour
The background colour can be adjusted.
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Notes
A notepad tool can support students in organizing thoughts and planning responses.
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Standalone physical aids
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- Bilingual dictionary (e.g., English to French) or thesaurus
- Scientific calculator (not needed for field test)
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Students are eligible to receive the following accommodations, if and only if, they receive these individualized supports or special considerations during regular school programming, or on formal assessments.
All students using one or more of the accommodations available should receive a participation code of 2A on the Student Tracking Form, and the type of accommodation(s) should be identified using the appropriate accommodation code(s) (see below).
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Accommodations available for students with individualized supports or special considerations
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| Scribe (Code S)
A staff member writes down the student’s dictated responses verbatim during the assessment.
Additional time (Code T)
Additional time must be requested in advance under the Accommodations column of the Student Identification Form. Students who have been granted this accommodation may receive up to 30 minutes of additional time for each part of the assessment.
Additional or extended breaks (Code K)
Students may take an additional 15-minute break or extend their existing break by 15 minutes, depending on their individual learning needs.
Alternate environment (Code E)
Students are permitted to write in an alternate setting that will better serve their learning.
Alternative formats (not available for spring 2026)
Students receive assessment materials in an alternative format that matches their sensory or visual needs to ensure their full access to content without changing the assessment itself. For more information on alternative formats, please see Alternative formats.
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If you have any questions about possible accommodations or how an accommodation can be implemented during PCAP, please contact CMEC at pcap-ppce@cmec.ca.