Emily Fedoriak learned Wednesday that after completing Grade 12 at Porter Creek Secondary School, she will indeed receive a high school diploma.

She will also have the opportunity to attend university in the fall even though she didn't write provincial exams in some courses.

Fedoriak was among the 40 or so students and parents from F.H. Collins and Porter Creek secondary schools who turned out to the legislature Wednesday afternoon to make her position known.

The gallery visitors watched Porter Creek South MLA Don Inverarity table a 424-signature petition challenging the government's previous position on provincial exams.

Fedoriak and others who arrived before the petition was tabled were quickly informed the government would do what the petition sought in moving entirely to B.C. graduation requirements.

A number of Grade 12 students didn't write what were provincial exams this year on the understanding the Yukon follows the same graduation requirements as British Columbia, where most provincial exams are optional.

At the time, the Yukon was following all of B.C.'s graduation requirements with the exception of the provincial exams which were required in the territory.

The situation saw a number of students receive report cards stating their grades in certain courses as incomplete, which could mean they wouldn't graduate without the credit.

Adding to the confusion were transcripts, prepared by the B.C. Ministry of Education, stating the students had finished the course and received a mark.

That left many students and their families wondering whether they would graduate as the government hired a consultant to look at the issue.

Greeting the petitioners inside the government administration building was a staff member with the territory's Department of Education, handing out letters signed by deputy minister Pamela Hine. They stated the government will move to the B.C. exam requirements and make it retroactive to the start of the school year.

"It's a big relief," Fedoriak said after listening to Inverarity, a Liberal, and Education Minister Patrick Rouble exchange words during question period.

The undated letter states the consultation had concluded, with the department determining the territory would follow the B.C. model. Students who wrote the optional exams last January will have the choice on whether to use that exam mark toward their final grade.

"We received a lot of feedback, and based on what we heard, the decision has been made that it is in the best interest of Yukon students to have the choice in writing exams in those courses that have optional (B.C. provincial exams), and this decision will be made retroactive to the beginning of this school year," the letter reads.

As in B.C., the five exams that are mandatory for graduation will be required, including Language Arts 12, Language Arts 10, Science 10, Mathematics 10 and Social Studies 11.

Monica Kulych, whose son is graduating this year, had yet to read the full letter.

However, as she stood looking it over and eyeing up the paragraph confirming the change, she smiled and said: "It feels pretty fantastic. If this, in fact, if it is what it says it is, and I guess we won't actually know until we're in there, but if it is true, boy, my most important message is, 'thank you to everybody who supported this.' "

Reading a portion of the letter out loud, Grade 12 student Riley Tobin quickly stated an excited "Yeah!" as he learned of the move to optional exams, but also said it didn't come as a surprise.

"I'm pretty sure they knew, they knew the right decision right off the bat," he said.

"They were just, I don't know, delaying it. I don't know what they were trying to pull, but I'm glad they came to the right decision."

Prior to reading Hine's letter, Tobin told reporters it didn't make sense for the exams to be mandatory in the Yukon, but not B.C. when the territory follows the province's graduation requirements.

The situation meant that Yukon students would be put at a disadvantage compared to B.C. students when applying to post-secondary schools and for scholarships because the exams could potentially lower the Yukon marks with the B.C. students getting to use only their class mark.

For those who didn't write the exams this year, it would have an even more detrimental effect with the possibility of a mark of zero in courses.

"A lot of kids would be up the creek without a paddle if they make us write them," Tobin said.

Fedoriak was looking at a delay of a year in her plans to study kinesiology at the University of Calgary in having to take the exams, which would mean potentially taking the courses once again.

Before tabling the petition, Inverarity introduced the petitioners in the gallery, "who are here today to observe democracy in action."

He later tabled the petition requesting "the Minister of Education change department policy to coincide with the B.C. curriculum and the 2004 Graduate Program.

"All exams will be optional with the exception of the five mandatory graduation exams. This must be in place for the 2008/2009 school year."

He would also, less informally, hand over another 39 names of Dawson City residents in favour of the changes. While the Dawson signatures were set to be part of the petition as well, the first petition wasn't in the proper format to be deemed official, he explained.

The MLA then launched into the matter as the first opposition member to speak during question period, asking whether Rouble would drop the exam requirements.

Rouble replied that the exam requirements would be brought in line with B.C. He went on to note the consultation process that had been happening.

"The consultation process ended Friday, and earlier (Wednesday), the Department of Education announced that it will change the policy to match the B.C. policy and that the policy will be retroactive to the beginning of the school year," Rouble said as students and parents sat or stood quietly in the gallery.

Rouble would not return phone calls from the Star, with cabinet spokeswoman Roxanne Vallevand directing calls to department officials instead.

This morning, Mike Woods, the territory's superintendent of Area 1, said the decision to move entirely to the B.C. model was made late Tuesday evening.

It wasn't until Wednesday morning he heard of the petition, Woods said, noting an e-mail had been sent out to principals with the decision and stating a more extensive communication plan was being worked on.

Over the consultation period, he said, officials heard "overwhelming" support to move to the B.C. model, many arguing that if the territory is to follow B.C.'s graduation requirements, it should follow them entirely.

There were a few who supported maintaining the status quo though, arguing accountability issues, and the need to make sure students can move on to post-secondary schools and be sure they will be eligible for the programs they want to enroll in.

While most universities have moved away from requiring provincial exams for more general programs, there are some specific fields of study requiring the exams.

It will now be left to students and their families to ensure they know what the requirements are for the programs they are applying to and to take any exams they may need to get in.

With that, the department will be getting that message through courses focused on career planning and, in Grades 7 and 8, the transition into high school and planning what courses to take there.

Woods also pointed to the allocated counselling time high school students receive for planning their direction after high school as an opportunity to look at exams they may need.

And though it won't be in place for this school year, the department is also looking at a "better model" to ensure parents are informed of graduation requirements, exams and so on.

Woods said that could take the form of some sort of help line families could call to get quick information on what the student may require to get into certain programs or careers.

Both Inverarity and NDP education critic Steve Cardiff said in separate interviews that moving to the B.C. exam requirements is the right move in the territory.

"I think it's unfortunate it takes people (protesting) in the gallery," Inverarity said.

Despite Woods' comment about when he learned of the petition, Inverarity and Cardiff suggested the petition and delegation at the legislature may have played a major role in the decision.

As Inverarity pointed out, it was only a couple of weeks ago when he questioned Rouble on whether the policy would be changed that he got a very different answer of no.

"It gives the students options," Cardiff said.

He did state some concerns around the exams acting as measuring tools in gauging students' success and determining whether Yukon students are learning the curriculum, though ultimately if the territory is following the B.C. graduation requirements, it needs to be doing so consistently, he said.