Membership Update

Ministry of Education Announcement:

 New Curriculum Transition Extended for Grades 11 & 12

The Ministry of Education has extended the implementation schedule for the new Grade 11 & 12 curriculum to July 2019.  This will allow extra time for the Ministry of Education, teachers, administrators and post-secondary institutions to be fully prepared to facilitate a smooth transition to the new curriculum.

The news release is available here: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2017EDUC0103-001803

In an update to superintendents, the Ministry of Education provided more detail on the changes that have been made to the implementation schedule:

“Implementing the new curriculum is a major priority for government; it is highlighted as a key objective in the Minister’s mandate letter from the Premier; and, is an important foundation from which we will continue to improve the quality and outcomes of the BC education system. As such, we are committed to ensuring the provincial curriculum rollout from Kindergarten to Grade 12 is successful.

As you know, the draft curriculum for Grades 10 to 12 has been available for use and feedback since July 2016, with the original aim to fully implement the new curriculum in the beginning of July 2018. The new curriculum contains fully updated course content for every subject area with a focus on big ideas and core competencies, including Aboriginal content, and in the case of some subject areas, completely new course structures. Associated with the rollout of the new curriculum are changes to the 2018 Graduation Program, which includes two new provincial graduation assessments and a renewed focus on career education.

Many teachers have begun implementing and exploring the new curriculum in their classrooms. The Ministry of Education continues to receive positive feedback as the momentum builds toward the full implementation of the renewed curriculum. However, at the same time, we have also heard from many educators and partner groups that more time is required to ensure the Ministry of Education, teachers, administrators and post-secondary institutions – along with students and parents – are fully prepared.

To most effectively prepare for a successful implementation, the following changes have been made to the implementation schedule:

1. Grade 10: As scheduled, full implementation of the new curriculum for all subject areas in Grade 10 will be effective July 2018. The Grade 10 curriculum documents will be finalized and available for use by April 2018.

2. Grades 11 and 12: Grade 11 and 12 courses will receive one additional year of transition support prior to full implementation in July 2019. The Grade 11 and 12 curriculum will also be finalized and available online June 30, 2018.

3. Numeracy Assessment: The provincial graduation numeracy assessment will be implemented for the first time in January 2018, with subsequent sessions in June and August 2018.

4. Literacy Assessment: The provincial graduation literacy assessment will align with the implementation of the Grade 11 and 12 curriculum, and the first administration will now be scheduled for January 2020.

During the extended implementation period, the Ministry will be working with school districts and our education partners to update our curriculum implementation support strategy to help ensure readiness across the education system.

We recognize the wide range of implementation readiness across the education system. This new timeline to implement the Grade 11 and 12 curriculum allows schools and districts to further explore the new curriculum. It also enables teachers to embed concepts found in the draft curriculum into the current course structures such as integrating core competencies or learning and understanding about Aboriginal worldviews and perspectives.”