Curriculum

• Elementary Curriculum
• Secondary Curriculum

Other Policy and Resource Documents

• Antiracism and Ethnocultural Equity in School Boards
• Common Course Codes
• Cooperative Education and Other Forms of Experiential Learning
• Individual Education Plans: Standards for Development, Program Planning, and Implementation, 2000
• The Ontario Curriculum – Grades 1–12: Achievement Charts (Draft), 2004
• Ontario Schools Code of Conduct
• Ontario Student Record (OSR) Guideline, 2000
• The Ontario Student Transcript (OST) Manual, 2003
• Provincial Model for a Local Police/School Board Protocol
• Policy/Program Memoranda
• Standards for School Boards' Special Education Plans, 2000
• The Trillium List
• Violence-Free Schools Policy
• Who's Responsible for Your Child's Education?
• Pathways for success - Sample timetables for supporting students at risk (PDF, 81 KB)

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is the role of the Ministry of Education in curriculum development?
• What are curriculum documents?
• What is an exemplar?
• What are policy and resource documents?
• How often are curriculum documents revised? What is the review process?
• What new curricula are being implemented this year?

What is the role of the Ministry of Education in curriculum development?

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.

What are curriculum documents?

Curriculum documents define what children are taught in Ontario public 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.

What is an exemplar?

Subject by subject, exemplars show teachers key features to look for when grading student work. These documents feature samples of actual student work at each of the four levels of achievement, accompanied by teachers’ comments explaining why the particular achievement level was assigned. Parents and students may also find these documents helpful.

What are policy and resource documents?

Policy documents set government standards. Resource documents support implementation of policy.

In the case of education, Language, Grades 1-8 is an example of a curriculum policy document. It sets out what the public can expect children to learn in Ontario's elementary 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 the Language policy. It helps teachers ensure that students from other backgrounds meet the curriculum expectations.

How often are curriculum documents revised? What is the review process?

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.

Because so much is at stake, 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:
  • Minister's Advisory Council on Special Education
  • Faculties of Education
  • Parents
  • Students
  • Universities, colleges
  • Other ministries.

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.

What new curricula are being implemented this year?

The following revised curricula are being implemented in September 2005:

• Social Studies, Grades 1 to 6
• Études sociales, 1^re à la 6^e année
• Mathematics, Grades 1 to 8
• Mathématiques, 1^re à 8^e année
• History and Geography, Grades 7 and 8
• Histoire et Géographie, 7^e et 8^e année
• Canadian and World Studies, Grades 9 and 10
• Études canadiennes et mondiales, 9^e et 10^e année
• Mathematics, Grades 9 and 10
• Mathématiques, 9^e et 10^e année
• Canadian and World Studies, Grades 11 and 12
• Études canadiennes et mondiales,11^e et 12^e année

Mathematics, Grades 11 and 12 and Mathématiques, 11^e et 12^e année have also been revised and will be implemented in September 2006.