Families of Grade 12 students throughout the territory are being asked to weigh in on the future of provincial exams.

At a public meeting Thursday night, parents were given a questionnaire asking their preference between:

• moving to B.C.'s current policy, which requires students to write only two Grade 12 provincial exams, first nation studies and language arts; or

• remaining with the current Yukon system, where students must write provincial exams for all for applicable classes.

Families were also asked whether they wanted the new policy implemented in the current school year or beginning in September, 2009.

"The change must be made and must be include students in this (school) calendar year," Monica Kulych, a parent whose child graduates this year, said in an interview this morning. "It's not an option to do a disservice to (students)."

Families learned last night the territory has hired a consultant to tour the territory and come up with a report on the issue later this month.

Held at the Department of Education building in Whitehorse for more than an hour, the meeting saw other communities join in by closed-circuit TV.

The meeting and questionnaire come after confusion over the requirements led some Grade 12 students to pass on the provincial exams they understood weren't required.

"I feel there's no good reason not to make the change," Kulych said.

While the territory follows the graduation requirements of B.C., it opted not to change its graduation requirements when B.C. did a few years ago.

The exams were the only change in the graduation requirement the territory didn't follow from the provincial changes.

Kulych argued the situation puts Yukon students on an unfair playing field with their counterparts in B.C.

A student in the province who ends up with an 80 per cent final mark in math, for example, can opt out of the exam, leaving them with a final grade of 80 per cent.

On the other hand, Yukon students in Grade 12 who have to take the exam may go in with 80 per cent and see their marks fall following the exam, which counts for 40 per cent of their final mark.

If the same two students are applying to the same university or for the same scholarship, the B.C. resident ends up with a higher mark on applications and their transcripts. A long list of universities throughout the country no longer require the exams for admissions.

"In some cases, it's actually doing them a disservice," Kulych said, after taking issue with Education Minister Patrick Rouble's absence from last night's meeting. "This affects all of our Yukon students," she said.

Rouble was travelling to Carmacks today and was not available for comment this morning, said cabinet spokeswoman Emily Yonkers.

Also unavailable to the Star this morning were department officials who were in meetings, said acting Education spokesman James McCullough.

A large part of the problem, Kulych suggested, lies in the upper bureaucracy of the Education department.

The minister, deputy minister and assistant deputy minister will not come to public meetings on the issue, nor will they meet with those impacted by the situation, she said.

Anytime she's requested meetings with the minister or his deputies, Kulych said, she's been directed instead to others in the department.

"I get roadblocked at their assistants," she said.

Allowing students the option to write the provincial exams would mean those needing an exam to get into a particular program or going after the Yukon Achievement

Awards, which provide $500 to Grade 12 students achieving 80 per cent or higher on any provincial exam, could still do so.

However, those who may want to have their marks remain at a certain level in the course would also have the choice not to write.

"That's the key; it's options," Kulych said.

She and other parents are submitting their questionnaires to the department. A school council meeting at Porter Creek Secondary School next Tuesday will also likely serve as a venue for discussion on the matter, she added.