Alberta January 2026 diploma exams, PATs cancelled

January 2026 diploma exams for Alberta high school students and provincial achievement tests (PATs) for Grade 9 students have been cancelled.

The provincial government said Friday this is a result of the 16-day teacher strike, saying it wants students and teachers to “concentrate on learning after lost instructional time.”

It also says students’ ability to apply, be accepted, or attend post-secondary institutions won’t be affected.

“Students who choose not to write at a later date will receive their school-awarded mark as their final official course mark,” the notice reads.

“A notation will be added to transcripts confirming that no diploma exam was written. This ensures there is no impact on students’ ability to graduate or transition into post-secondary programs.”

Meanwhile, students have the option to write diploma exams in April and June.

The government says the cancellation applies to all school authorities provincewide.

This comes after the Alberta government began rolling out compensation Friday for the families of children who were kept out of classrooms during a three-week teacher strike.

The strike, which called for a classroom cap to be included in the province’s offer to teachers, ended when Premier Danielle Smith’s United Conservative Party government quickly passed Bill 2 on Tuesday, forcing teachers back to work.

The law imposes a collective bargaining agreement teachers previously rejected and uses the Charter’s notwithstanding clause to shield it from a court challenge.