STAO/APSO - Science Teachers Association of Ontario

The recommendations in this paper are the result of over nine months of work involving research, consultation, discussion and debate among approximately 250 Ontarians. These dedicated individuals included:

educators from secondary schools, colleges and universities; and
community members with discipline-related expertise
They represented over 50 professional associations. Most of them were parents. Together, they asked important questions, offered compelling insights, and posed practical solutions.

Following is a summary of their recommendations for new secondary school curriculum, organized into these broad categories:

To find a specific recommendation in this paper, use the locator that appears in square brackets after the recommendation.

1. Secondary school curriculum must be restructured and developed to better meet the needs of students who will be graduating and living in the 21st century. [1.1a]

2. The new curriculum for secondary school should build on the strengths of the current curriculum. These strengths include:

rigorous and appropriate content of Ontario Academic Courses (OACs)
opportunities for co-op placements;
identification of compulsory courses;
identification of appropriate assessment strategies; and
(for French-language schools) specific direction for affirmation culturelle. [2-1a]

3. Curriculum materials currently available in other jurisdictions should be considered in the development of the new secondary school curriculum. [2.1b]

4. The work of the Expert Panels, reflected in the 24 individual Key Directions papers, should be considered in the development of the new secondary school curriculum. [2.1 c]

5. Curriculum Guidelines should be developed with central control by the Ministy of Education and Training. [3.1a]

6. The new curriculum should include 13 English-language and 13 French-language Curriculum Guidelines. Each guideline defines a discipline area. [3.1b]

The Arts (Music, Dance, Drama, and Art);
Business Studies;
Canadian and World Studies (History, Geography, Economics, Politics, Law, and
Citizenship Education);
English/ESL/ESD;
French as a Second Language and Additional Languages;
Guidance and Career Education;
Healthy Active Living Education (Physical and Health Education);
Interdisciplinary Studies;
Mathematics;
Native Studies;
Science;
Social Science (Family Studies, Philosophy, Anthropology, Psychology, Sociology);
Technological Education (Broad-based Technological Education, including Computer Systems Technology).

Arts;
Affaires et commerce;
Anglais/English;
Animation Culturelle;
Français/ALF/PDF;
Orientation et formation au cheminement de carrière;
Éducation physique, vie active et santé;
Études Interdisciplinaires;
Mathématiques;
Études Autochtones;
Sciences;
Sciences humaines et sociales;
Études technologiques et informatiques.

7. The curriculum should ensure that all students achieve the following general requirements related to the Comprehensive Results:

literacy;
numeracy;
technological competence;
citizenship;
critical thinking;
global perspectives;
personal life management;
research methodologies;
ability to make connections - integrating and transferring knowledge and skills; and affirmation culturelle (for French language schools only).[3.2a]

8. The new curriculum must specify the discipline-specific requirements expected of all secondary school graduates. [3.2b]

9. The new curriculum must eliminate unnecessary repetition and overlap by identifying which specific disciplines are responsible for delivering the core knowledge and skills specified in the Comprehensive Results. [3.2c]

10. The curriculum should be based on a solid foundation of compulsory courses that lead to a range of elective and specialized courses. [3.3a]

11. The new curriculum must allow for fractional credits and elective modules to enable students to create relevant programs of study and to provide schools with flexibility to design programs that meet local needs. [3.3b]

12. The curriculum must be carefully structured to identify prerequisites and sequenced learning in order to ensure continuous learning throughout secondary school. [3.3c]

14. The curriculum must be more rigorous, relevant and closely connected to students' lives, whether the student intends to enter the workplace, college, or university after secondary school. [3. ld]

16. The curriculum must provide opportunities for all students to develop the knowledge and skills they need to be productive and contributing members of society. To ensure this, it must include models to meet the needs of a broad range of students, including exceptional students, students in ESL/ESD and ALF/PDF programs, and adult learners. [4.1a]

17. Curriculum materials and methodologies must be inclusive and reflect the policies outlined in Policy/Program Memorandum (PPM) 119 on antiracism and ethnocultural equity, issued by the Ministry of Education and Training. [4.1b]

19. Native views and experiences must be reflected in the curriculum, learning materials, teaching methods, and assessment and evaluation methods. [4.1d]

20. Curriculum Guidelines must provide for the health and safety of all students. This includes identifying all conventional aspects of health and safety associated with a discipline (such as the safe handling of hazardous materials), as well as aspects relating to the personal well being of students. [4.3a]

21. Students must be given opportunities to achieve the curriculum requirements in a variety of ways, including out-of-classroom learning experiences, on-line learning, continuing education, distance education, and apprenticeships. [4.4a]

22. The curriculum must provide a framework for cooperative education that provides safe, meaningful, relevant learning experiences. [4.4b]

23. The curriculum must support more opportunities for apprenticeships, particularly in Native and Francophone communities. [4.4c]

24. The curriculum should enable community service activities to be included in any course. [4.4d]

25. The curriculum for each discipline must integrate appropriate information technologies, communication technologies, and specific technologies. [4.6a]

26. Adequate technological resources and electronic networking must be provided to support the new curriculum, particularly in Francophone and isolated communities. [4.6b]

27. All student assessment and evaluation, including the final evaluation, must use a variety of instruments, techniques and strategies. [3.4a]

28. Assessment and evaluation must measure intellectual/cognitive achievement, practical achievement, and personal/social achievement. [3.4b]

29. Assessment and evaluation must be ongoing, linked to course requirements, and based on clear levels of performance. [3.4c]

30. Assessment and evaluation must be clearly explained to parents and students. [3.4d]

31. The grade 11 assessment should be based on provincial requirements and standards. [3.4e]

32. Results of the grade 11 assessment should provide input into the ongoing review and revision of the curriculum. [3.4f]

33. Implementation of the curriculum should be consistent throughout the province. [3.1f]

34. Implementation of the curriculum must be monitored by the Ministry of Education and Training. [3.1g]

35. The Ministry of Education and Training should develop Course Profiles to support teachers in developing classroom programs. [3.1i]

36. Teacher qualifications must be reviewed and updated where required to successfully implement the new curriculum. [3.1j]

37. Teachers must be given appropriate support-including in-service 9, staff development and up-to-date resources--to ensure that implementation of the curriculum is meaningful and relevant. [4.2a]

38. The Ministry must release the new curriculum with enough lead time to allow teachers and school boards to do the necessary professional development to ensure successful implementation. [3.1k]

39. To implement the new curriculum successfully, the government must ensure that students and teachers have timely access to books and other required learning resources in both official languages. [4.5a]

40. Learning requirements should be clearly communicated to students, parents, teachers, and the community, and should contain set standards of achievement. [3.11]

41. Each French-language school must develop a curriculum plan that integrates Aménagement linguistique, Animation culturelle, Études interdisciplinaires and Orientation et formation au cheminement de carrière across all disciplines. [3.1s]

42. The new curriculum for French-language schools must provide a framework for the coordination and delivery of l'Animation culturelle at the school level and within each discipline. [3. lt]

43. The curriculum must promote formal and informal partnerships with parents, the community, and postsecondary institutions. [4.7a]

44. To ensure that the curriculum is relevant and that it remains so, Provincial Curriculum Advisory Committees should be established for each discipline, in partnership with parents, educators, community employers, and postsecondary institutions. [3.1n and 4.7b]

45. Formal structures for communication between elementary and secondary schools must be established to ensure a continuum of learning. [3.1o]

46. Employers must be fully involved in developing senior courses for students planning to enter the workplace or apprenticeship programs after secondary school. [3.1p]

47. The postsecondary sector must be fully involved in developing senior courses for students planning to enter university or college. [3.1q]

48. A provincial policy should be developed to create and ensure consistent articulation agreements between colleges and secondary schools. [3.1r]

49. The Ministry should establish an ongoing process and schedule of curriculum review, revision, and renewal. (See recommendation 44, which proposes the establishment of Provincial Cwriculwn Advisory Committees.) [3.1m]

50. A curriculum monitoring program, based on the OAC Teacher In-service Program (OACTIP) model, should be developed and implemented. [3.1h]

Resources - Archived Materials