Government launches curriculum consultation
- Improving student performance in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)
- Preparing students with needed job skills, such as skilled trades and coding
- Improving provincial standardized testing
- Ensuring students graduate with important life skills, including financial literacy
- Managing the use of technology in classrooms, such as cell phones
- Building a new age-appropriate Health and Physical Education curriculum that includes subjects like mental health, sexual health education and the legalization of cannabis Developing the first-ever Parents’ Bill of Rights
- During this period, parents can also share stories about teachers who are making a difference in their children’s lives or report concerns about the curriculum currently being taught.
| Areas of concern for Ontario government’s consultation | Related OSSTF/FEESO Policy |
|---|---|
| 1. Improving student performance in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) | It is the policy of OSSTF that the goals of education should, through the expansion of knowledge, enhance the student’s ability to: 7.1.2.2 use mathematical skills with confidence in practical situations ; 7.1.2.3 use science and technology to gain access to information and make decisions; |
| 2. Preparing students with needed job skills, such as skilled trades and coding | 7.14. Skills Training Programs and Apprenticeships It is the policy of OSSTF that: 7.14.1. skills training should be developed within the context of the goals of education in Ontario; 7.14.2. skills training programs should: 7.14.2.1. be open to all students; 7.14.2.2. be designed to embody the generic skills built into the regular school program; 7.14.2.3. incorporate information that enables the trainees to work safely; 7.14.2.4. incorporate information to help trainees understand their rights both individually and collectively; and 7.14.2.5. flow from teacher-based identification of skills needs, and should be developed in conjunction with labour as well as with employers or consultants; 7.14.3. skills training programs appropriate for the age and developmental level of the trainees should be offered through public secondary schools; and 7.14.4. school workplace apprenticeship programs should be designed so that: 7.14.4.1. successful graduates have the same options available to them as do graduates of the regular program; 7.14.4.2. they have additional options which result from completing a considerable portion of an apprenticeship program; and 7.14.4.3. they allow for the easy transition of students to and from the regular program. |
| 3. Improving provincial standardized testing | 7.6. Student Assessment and Evaluation
It is the policy of OSSTF that:
7.6.1.
province-wide, system-wide, or international tests should not be used in the supervision or evaluation of teachers or to compare schools and/or district school boards;
7.6.2.
there should be no reintroduction of public, province-wide exit examinations;
7.6.3.
student assessment instruments should be developed by the Ministry of Education and/or district school boards in collaboration with the teaching federations during all stages of planning, development, implementation and review;
7.6.4.
if province-wide or system-wide tests are used, then they should:
7.6.4.1.
take into account the diversity of the student population in Ontario;
7.6.4.2.
be based on curriculum objectives;
7.6.4.3.
be used to make recommendations to improve student achievement;
7.6.4.4.
be used to make recommendations to improve teaching strategies and/or modify program;
7.6.4.5.
be free from discriminatory bias; 7.6.4.6. be reported to the student and parent by appropriate personnel who have access to pertinent printed information; 7.6.4.7. be accompanied by current information useful in interpreting scores from test programs; 7.6.4.8. employ a transparent and consistent passing standard, which is similar to that required for any secondary school credit, and which is established and released prior to the administration of the test; and 7.6.4.9. have their design and evaluation procedures clearly and concisely explained to all members of the education community, including parents and students; 7.6.5. the classroom teacher should be the primary assessor/evaluator of student progress; 7.6.6. any assessment/evaluation strategy should be of benefit to the students; 7.6.7. student assessment/evaluation should be a significant aspect of the learning process; 7.6.8. students should be assessed and evaluated through a variety of written and non-written strategies; 7.6.9. information from provincial standardized testing should not identify any student by class section or teacher; 7.6.10. OSSTF opposes, in principle, the use of the Blended Mode Assessment Process imposed unilaterally by any employer; 7.6.11. employers should accept zero as a mark when teachers, in their professional judgment, believe this is the appropriate mark; 7.6.12. members should be allowed to use the assessment tools that, in their professional judgment, best meet the needs of their students and Ministry reporting requirements; 7.6.13. teachers should only be required to complete report cards twice per course, as outlined by the Ministry of Education; 7.6.14. the Ministry Identification Number of the Ontario Secondary School that grants each credit should be shown on the Ontario Student Transcript; 7.6.15. province-wide or system-wide testing should not be administered in a format that disadvantages any students or limits them from full participation; and 7.6.16. no Member should be required to use EQAO assessment as any part of a student’s final mark. 10.8. Education Quality and Accountability Office It is the policy of OSSTF that: 10.8.1. the Education Quality and Accountability Office and its testing program should be abolished and that the savings should be allocated to the province’s elementary and secondary public schools. |
| 4. Ensuring students graduate with important life skills, including financial literacy | It is the policy of OSSTF that any educational change should follow a Ministry of Education change protocol that: 7.3.1.3 includes a clear vision of student outcomes for both students leaving school to enter the workforce directly and students proceeding to post-secondary education; |
| 5. Managing the use of technology in classrooms, such as cell phones | It is the policy of OSSTF that: 7.5.16 where computers and other digital technology should, according to the member’s professional judgment, be an integral part of the instruction, assessment and evaluation process that: 7.5.16.3 the employer should ensure that all students have access to the technology required to fulfill the expectations of all curriculum programs in such a way that neither students nor OSSTF members are disadvantaged. |
| 6. Building a new age-appropriate Health and Physical Education curriculum that includes subjects like mental health, sexual health education and the legalization of cannabis | It is the policy of OSSTF that the goals of education should, through the expansion of knowledge, enhance the student’s ability to: 7.1.2.8 assume responsibility for a healthy life style; 7.1.2.11 understand and challenge human rights violations such as sexism, racism, homophobia and harassment and other forms of such injustice including violence; |
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