Ontario. Departmental Examination Branch

• Departmental Examination Branch

The conduct of examinations was one of the responsibilities of the Council of Public Instruction until the Council was abolished in 1876 when its examination duties were assumed by the Department of Education.

The Central Committee of Examiners, first appointed in 1871, prepared and oversaw marking of the high school entrance and promotion examinations, and provided advice to the Minister of Education regarding these examinations. The Central Committee of Examiners was replaced by the Joint Board of Examiners in 1892. From 1881 to 1896, the Committee and the Board were assisted by a clerk in the Department of Education who was also the Registrar. The clerk reported to the Deputy Minister.

In 1896, the Educational Council, consisting of the President of the University of Toronto and ten other members, was established (59 Vic., Chap. 69, sec. 5) primarily for the purpose of conducting Departmental Examinations. This legislation provided for a registrar of the Council to be selected by the Department of Education and this appears to be the genesis of the Departmental Examination Branch. Dr. William Pakenham was Registrar and head of the Branch, which consisted of clerks, the Secretary to the Council, and a printer, all of whom existed on the staff of the Department prior to 1896.

In 1906, the Educational Council was superseded by the Advisory Council of Education which composed of twenty members, most of whom were elected at various levels of the educational system, including the universities, High School teachers, Public and Separate School teachers and School Trustees. This Council was not only concerned with Departmental Examinations but served as a consultative committee to confer with the Minister on all matters relating to education.

The Registrar of the Department was also the registrar of the Council. The Council was discontinued by an act of the Legislature in 1915 (5 Geo. V, Chap. 43, Sec. 2). During this period the Departmental Examination Branch continued to provide administrative support for the departmental examinations.

In 1951, the staff and responsibilities of the defunct Correspondence Branch, which had been responsible for the departmental correspondence and the Department of Education's Central Registry were transferred to the Departmental Examinations Branch, which was renamed the Registrar's Branch.

The Departmental Examination Branch of the Department of Education was responsible for supervising the preparation of the Departmental Examination papers (annual written examinations), the administration of the examinations, overseeing marking of the answer papers, recording the marks, issuing Departmental certificates and diplomas and teachers certificates, administration of scholarships, inter-provincial and overseas teacher exchanges and related activities.

RAD: Rules for Archival Description, 2nd edn (2008)

2026-11-16: migrated to AtoM

Inventory 2, Records of the Ministry of Education

Archivist(s):
Chang