Each year, Nova Scotia students in Grades 3, 6, and 8 participate in provincial assessments in literacy (reading and writing) and mathematics. Students in Grade 10 write provincial examinations as part of their English 10, Français 10 and Mathematics 10 courses.
Assessment is an important part of everyday teaching and learning. It helps teachers understand student progress, supports meaningful conversations with families, and provides information that helps improve education across the province.
Why do we conduct provincial assessments?
Provincial assessments help to:
- monitor student learning and progress over time
- provide information to students, families, and teachers
- identify strengths and areas where additional support may be needed
- inform decisions at the classroom, school, regional, and provincial levels
- identify and address achievement gaps
- provide transparent information about student achievement to the public.
About the provincial assessment program
The assessment program is led by the Student Assessment division at the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (EECD). The program provides reliable information about student achievement in literacy and mathematics. This information supports decision-making and continuous improvement at the student, classroom, school, regional, and provincial levels.
All assessment questions and reading texts are based on the Nova Scotia curriculum. Nova Scotia teachers work with the EECD to develop the assessments, score student responses and set performance expectations. These expectations describe what students should know and be able to do independently at the time of the assessment.
| Learn more about provincial assessments by watching this video: |
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Scoring and development opportunities for educators
Nova Scotia educators play a key role in assessments — helping to develop, administer, score, and use the results.
Click here for opportunities to get involved.
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News and information bulletins
New in 2026: Students will complete the grade 6 and 8 assessments online using school devices instead of on paper. This change modernizes the assessments, increases accessibility and better supports teaching and learning.