The Ontario Curriculum

The Ministry of Education administers the system of publicly funded elementary and secondary school education in Ontario, in accordance with and under the authority of the Education Act.

The Minister of Education, through the ministry, issues curricula, sets diploma requirements and sets policy for student assessment, evaluation and reporting.

Curriculum documents define what students are taught in Ontario publicly funded schools. They detail the knowledge and skills that students are expected to develop in each subject at each grade level. By developing and publishing curriculum documents for use by all Ontario teachers, the Ministry of Education sets standards for the entire province.

Policy documents outline mandatory requirements and standards. Resource documents support implementation of policy and their use is a local decision.

In the case of education, The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9-10: English, 2007 (revised) is an example of a curriculum policy document. It sets out what the public can expect children to learn in Ontario's secondary Language program.

On the other hand, the publication The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1–8: English As a Second Language and English Literacy Development – A Resource Guide is a resource that supports English Language Learners in our schools. It helps teachers ensure that students from other backgrounds meet the curriculum expectations.

Exemplars were developed to complement the implementation of the previous curriculum. Subject by subject, exemplars show teachers key features to look for when designing assessment tasks and when evaluating student learning based on clear criteria. These documents feature samples of student work at each of the four levels of achievement, accompanied by teachers' comments explaining why the particular achievement level was assigned.

At this time, there are no plans to re-write or update the exemplars for the revised curriculum. Teacher practice has developed over the past ten years and the extent to which exemplars may be used by teachers today and the purposes for using them may have changed. Exemplars should not be used as the "perfect assignment" but instead provide illustrations that can support planning and instruction.

Teachers are encouraged to develop assessment and evaluation criteria together with students so that they mutually understand what is expected and what successful completion looks like and clearly understand their assessments.

In 2003, the Ministry of Education established a schedule for ongoing curriculum review. Each year, a number of subject areas enter the review process, to ensure they are kept current, relevant and age-appropriate. The current review cycle will be completed in 2012.

Reviews are conducted with great care. Comprehensive information-gathering includes:

• Studying research in the subject area
• Comparison with other jurisdictions
• Focus groups comprised of educators from all Ontario school boards
• Technical content analysis conducted by subject experts
• Consultations with stakeholders including:
  • Minister's Advisory Council on Special Education
  • Faculties of Education
  • Employers
  • Parents
  • Students
  • Universities, colleges
  • Other branches of the Ministry of Education
  • Other ministries
  • NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations).

These sources of information form the basis of recommended revisions to the curriculum. Writing teams drawn from school boards across the province then develop revised English and French documents based on research and consultation.

Further stages of review to finalize the curriculum include:

• Feedback consultation on the draft curriculum from educators and stakeholders
• Overall fact-check for accuracy and subject integrity
• Expert checks to ensure alignment with government policies and frameworks such as environmental education, First Nation, Métis and Inuit Policy Framework and equity and inclusive education strategy
• Publishing processes including editing
• Approvals processes

Teachers began using the following revised curricula in September 2010:

• The Arts, Grades 9 and 10
• The Arts, Grades 11 and 12
• Health and Physical Education, Grades 1-8 (Interim Edition)
• Full-Day Early Learning-Kindergarten Program (draft)
• The Extended-Day Program

Teachers began using the following revised curricula in September 2009:

• The Arts, Grades 1-8
• Science, Grades 9 and 10
• Science, Grades 11 and 12
• Computer Studies, Grades 10 to 12
• Technological Education, Grades 9and 10
• Technological Education, Grades 11 and 12

Teachers began using the following revised curricula in September 2008:

• Science and Technology, Grades 1-8

Teachers began using the following revised curricula in September 2007:

• English, Grades 9 and 10
• English, Grades 11 and 12
• English As a Second Language and English Literacy Development, Grades 9 to 12
• Mathematics, Grades 11 and 12

Teachers began using the following revised curricula in September 2006:

• Business Studies, Grades 9 and 10
• Business Studies, Grades 11 and 12
• Guidance and Career Education, Grades 9 and 10
• Guidance and Career Education, Grades 11 and 12
• Kindergarten
• Language, Grades 1 to 8

Teachers began using the following revised curricula in September 2005:

• Canadian and World Studies, Grades 9 and 10
• Canadian and World Studies, Grades 11 and 12
• Mathematics, Grades 1 to 8
• Mathematics, Grades 9 and 10
• Social Studies, Grades 1 to 6; History and Geography, Grades 7 and 8

• Health and Physical Education, Grades 9 and 10
• Health and Physical Education, Grades 11 and 12
• Social Sciences and Humanities, Grades 9 and 10
• Social Sciences and Humanities, Grades 11 and 12
• Social Studies, Grades 1 to 6; History and Geography, Grades 7 and 8
• Canadian and World Studies, Grades 9 and 10
• Canadian and World Studies, Grades 11 and 12
• French As a Second Language: Core French, Grades 4-8
• French As a Second Language: Extended French, Grades 4-8; French Immersion, Grades 1-8
• French As a Second Language – Core, Extended, and Immersion French, Grades 9 and 10
• French As a Second Language – Core, Extended, and Immersion French, Grades 11 and 12
• Native Studies, Grades 9 and 10
• Native Studies, Grades 11 and 12
• Native Languages, Grades 1-8
• Native Languages, Grades 9 and 10
• Native Languages, Grades 11 and 12
• Classical and International Languages, Grades 9 and 10
• Classical Studies and International Languages, Grades 11 and 12
• Interdisciplinary Studies, Grades 11 and 12

In March 2007, a group of knowledgeable and committed community leaders was brought together to advise the minister of education. They provide high level strategic advice on issues related to elementary and secondary school curriculum. For more information, visit the Curriculum Council website.