Department of Education and Culture

Office of the Minister

PO Box 578

Halifax, Nova Scotia

B3J 2S9

May 13, 1999

Ms. Cheryl Kozey and Mr. Dick Tilley

Co-Chairs, Halifax District Parent Teacher Association

PO Box 33042

Quinpool RPO

Halifax, NS B3L 4T6

Dear Ms. Kozey and Mr. Tilley:

I am writing in response to your letter regarding Advanced Courses Interim Policy Guidelines, released in January 1999, and the requests therein. I appreciate your informing me of the concerns expressed by the Halifax District Parent Teacher Association, and I am pleased to provide the following information.

First, I would like to provide some background information to provide a context for my responses. The Nova Scotia Public School Program for senior high has historically included some advanced courses in grades 11 and 12, but not at grade 10. This is similar to the practice in most jurisdictions across Canada. In implementing public school programs, schools have made concerted efforts, at the grade 10 and other grade levels, to provide enrichment opportunities for their students, and it is my hope and expectation that they will continue to do so. Halifax District School Board, in their reorganization of the grade 10 program, implemented an enriched foundation model rather than advanced courses.

The Minister's Advisory Committee on the Public School Program made a number of recommendations in its report of 1989. During the ensuing years, the Department, working with school boards, introduced new courses and programs and refined strategies to ensure greater achievement and success for all students. Consultations on course coding and related issues were held in 1993. The Public School Programs Discussion Paper, released in January 1996, identified issues related to advanced courses, proposed possible actions, and invited partners in education to respond. The section on Advanced Courses included the suggestion that all grade 10 courses be designed "to have enrichment components for students who have the interest, need or ability to pursue advanced studies." This option was supported by respondents, including school boards.

The Department has listened carefully to teachers and parents during the ten years that this policy has been developed. The intent of the 1989 report was, in part, to eliminate all advanced courses. We rejected that approach. Rather, the policy adapted reflects a balance of providing advanced courses during the specialization years (grades 11 and 12) while ensuring that all students have an opportunity to be prepared for the specialized years through a challenging program of studies.

The curriculum guides for grade 10 courses include components and suggestions for learning experiences which provide additional challenge to meet the needs of advanced learners. For example, the curriculum guide English Language Arts, Grades 10-12, implemented in 1997, includes a section on meeting the needs of gifted and talented students and provides many suggestions for contexts for acceleration and enrichment. The Atlantic Canada Mathematics 10 academic courses, to be implemented in September 1999, is designed to prepare students for advanced and academic grade 11 course options.

In the Halifax, area, it is my understanding that some high schools offer "enriched" courses in certain subjects, and that such courses continue to be commonly referred to as "honours" courses. These have not been approved by the Department. The Department expects that enrichment opportunities for all students in all subject areas will be considered as teachers plan instruction, design learning and assessment experiences, select learning resources, and create learning environments to best meet the learning needs of their students.

In recent years, program staff of the Department and of school boards have monitored the implementation of public school courses, collected data on locally developed courses, reviewed the range of course offerings at the high school level, and engaged in extensive discussion on issues related to advanced courses and to locally developed courses. Department staff, in collaboration with board staff, have reviewed applications for approval of a number of locally developed courses, including advanced courses.

This review indicated a wide disparity in the nature of proposed advanced courses, most notably in the quality of content and anticipated outcomes of student learning. One of the purposes of Advanced Courses Interim Policy Guidelines is to ensure that all locally developed advanced courses are high quality, that they provide additional content and rigour, and that they require curriculum outcomes different from those of related courses offered in that subject area as academic credits.

To that end, the Department is requesting that schools and boards review their locally developed grades 11 and 12 advanced course offerings. They are to develop detailed descriptions of course content and organization, expected learning outcomes, the range of learning experiences provided, and the learning resources and teaching materials to be used. The Department will continue to assist boards and schools in course design and the revision and refinement of course descriptions.

Locally developed grade 11 and 12 courses which meet the requirements outlined in Advanced Courses Interim Policy Guidelines will be approved. The interim policy guidelines provide the opportunity for boards and their schools to develop a greater diversity of courses. It is an expectation that this diversity of courses will build on school and community expertise to better meet the learning needs, aptitudes, interests, and goals of students.

In response to the specific points you raise in reference to current policy on advanced courses described in Public School Programs documents and to proposed policies outlined in Advanced Courses Interim Policy Guidelines, I offer the following information and comments.

1. Public School Programs, 1997-1998, to which you refer in your letter, states that "Previously existing, locally developed advanced courses, which have written approval from the department, may be continued for 1997-98 and 1998-99 with the approval of their school boards. During this period, these courses will be reviewed and may be continued subject to that review." In accordance with this policy, schools have continued in this time period to offer approved locally developed advanced courses.

In October 1998, school boards were asked to identify all locally developed courses currently being offered as advanced courses. The information provided by Halifax Regional School Board indicated that course offerings at some schools included locally developed courses which had not been approved by the Board or the Department, notably, English 521, History 521, Math 521, and Science 521.

2. The Department remains committed to providing high quality programming and learning environments for all students in our inclusive school system. Current program and policy directions are guided by a commitment to excellence in programming-programming that consistently promotes high expectations and standards of achievement and that provides all students with the learning opportunities they need.

At the grade 10 level, it is expected that schools will implement public school program courses which are designed to provide all learners with access to a strong foundation of common educational experiences. At this level, it is vital that programming is relevant to students' diverse interests and career goals and that it does not close career paths to any students. The public school grade 10 program does not limit students'academic choices. The program is designed to ensure that students have the background to make wise decisions regarding course options available in grades 11 and 12, the specialization years.

Public school program grade 10 courses are designed to help all students reach their potential through a wide variety of learning experiences, to promote the acquisition of essential skills and knowledge by all students, and to afford opportunities for learners to focus on their areas of strength and interest. These courses offer multiple opportunities for enrichment, challenge, and support. It is expected that teachers will draw on suggestions in curriculum guides to plan challenging learning experiences and appropriate learning tasks for advanced learners.

3. I would like to emphasize that while locally developed grade 10 advanced courses will be discontinued after the current school year, it is not the intent of the department to cut back programs or to remove advanced courses at grades 11 and 12. The Department will expand advanced course offerings at these levels. The new Atlantic Canada senior high mathematics program, for example, includes an advanced mathematics course at the grade 11 level and two advanced mathematics courses at the grade 12 level. As noted in the guidelines, boards and their schools may continue to offer approved advanced courses at grades 11 and 12 in 1999-2000 and may submit requests to offer new advanced courses at grades 11 and 12 after 1999-2000 within the parameters of interim policy guidelines.

The Department is strengthening senior high courses in a number of ways, including the use of nationally, regionally, and provincially developed learning outcomes frameworks as the basis for course design and development. For example, the new Atlantic Canada Science 10 academic course currently being field tested in this province reflects the vision of scientific literacy described in the Pan-Canadian Common Framework of Science Learning Outcomes. It will provide an excellent foundation for grade 11 and 12 academic and advanced courses in biology, chemistry, and physics.

The Department is also developing an enrichment and gifted education resource guide, Challenge for Excellence, to assist teachers in designing instruction to meet the learning needs of gifted students and to provide school-wide enrichment opportunities. It is expected that this resource will be available for schools to implement beginning September, 1999.

Since the consultation with education partners on the Public School Programs Discussion Paper, the Department has met with university registrars and faculty representatives to discuss the high school program, the range of courses it comprises, and its efficacy in preparing students for further studies at university. Those discussions have addressed needs, requirements, and standards for advanced courses. Department staff have, on many occasions, met with the professional staff of school boards, including board directors of education programs and services, coordinators of programs and student services, and program facilitators to discuss advanced courses and related programming and policy needs. Such meetings have provided valuable opportunities for board staff to represent the needs and perspectives of their learning communities. The Department continues to pilot new courses and programs throughout the province to ensure high quality curriculum which meets the needs of all learners.

Department staff have also discussed advanced course policies with their counterparts in other jurisdictions, both in the Atlantic region and other parts of Canada. The Department has, as recently as the fall of 1998, conducted another survey of policies on advanced courses in other jurisdictions. Within the Department, Directors, their divisional staff, and members of an Advanced Courses Workgroup have had a series of meetings to review current initiatives, to report on related consultations with various partners, as noted above, and to make recommendations regarding the formulation of policy. This has been an ongoing process since 1996, culminating in the development of Advanced Courses Interim Policy Guidelines.

4. You describe the need to provide appropriate opportunities and choices for all students within the public school program and to ensure that students have the appropriate background to pursue advanced studies. The information provided in this letter shows how the public school program is designed to do just that. I agree that provision of opportunities for students to excel is paramount. The Department has undertaken a range of initiatives to ensure that the right mix of program choices and requirements are in place to challenge and support all students in reaching their full potential.

Current curriculum guidelines and related documents include detailed information on effective learning environments and instructional approaches, reflecting current research on best practice and the experience of exemplary practitioners in Nova Scotia and other jurisdictions. The guideline for grade 10 English, for example, recognizes that "gifted and talented students need opportunities to work in a variety of grouping arrangements, including both mixed-ability and similar ability co-operative learning groups, interest groups, and partner learning." It is our belief that the grade 10 experience can provide the flexibility and diversity necessary to afford opportunities for learners to work in a variety of grouping arrangements to meet their learning needs.

Effective practice at every grade level requires teachers to design diverse learning experiences and to differentiate instruction to meet a wide range of students' learning needs. The Department has collaborated with universities, school boards, and other education partners over the past several years to ensure that teachers have access to professional development opportunities to enhance their abilities to meet the needs of the learners and the needs of the curriculum. To assist school boards in providing high quality professional development opportunities for teachers and administrators, the Department provides workshops for board implementation leadership and support teams. These workshops emphasize and demonstrate a variety of effective grouping practices and strategies for meeting students' diverse learning needs.

I am confident that school boards, their professional staff, school administrators, and teachers will continue to ensure that all students have the opportunity to achieve at their highest level and that the learning needs of high ability and gifted students are met. I recognize and commend the commitment of parents and parent groups to supporting the education of their children. I hope that the information I have provided will clarify Department directions and intentions and address the concerns outlined in your letter.

Yours very truly,

Original Signed by

HON. WAYNE GAUDET

Wayne Gaudet