Since 1906, hundreds of thousands of Alberta, Canada secondary school students have taken some form of provincially set and scored examinations. The grade levels of students required to write such examinations have changed several times, and tests have involved formats which included various combinations of essay, short answer, matching, and multiple choice. This booklet outlines the development, nature, purposes, and intended uses of the provincial testing system. The research and data collection services provided by the Student Evaluation and Data Processing Branch of The Alberta Department of Education are also reviewed. (Author/DSE)