Things are changing in B.C. schools — Grade 10 students will get a new curriculum this fall, and schools have one year to prepare for new Grade 11 and 12 guidelines for next fall.
The new curriculum, with its focus on competencies, big ideas and learning standards, is old hat for students in younger grades who have been studying under it since 2015. But the graduation program was more challenging to upgrade and was delayed by a year last fall.
B.C. Teachers’ Federation president Glen Hansman said the Kindergarten to Grade 9 changes have been “strongly supported” by teachers, but since no one has yet used the new graduation program curriculum, the jury is still out.
Hansman’s main concerns are that school districts have the necessary equipment to teach the new material and that teachers get adequate training, especially around the Indigenous content, which Hansman says is the “most transformative piece” of the new curriculum.
“It’s one thing to say we’ve incorporated this in a meaningful way into Physics 12, but what does that look like to the teacher who has been teaching Physics 12 for a long time?” Hansman said. “The teacher may want to do it meaningfully, but is unsure where to go.”
The big changes include exams — now there will only be two mandatory graduation exams, one in numeracy and one in literacy. They can be written anytime between Grade 10 and Grade 12 and are not attached to any particular class. The results of these tests will no longer affect a student’s grades in a class, but they will be printed on the student’s permanent transcript.
A big unknown is whether post secondary schools will use the test results as a basis for acceptance or whether the Fraser Institute will use the results to rank schools.
“We remain skeptical of those sorts of large scale assessments at the provincial level, but it is definitely a move forward from the [previous] provincial exam regime, which won’t be missed, except by a few,” Hansman said.
The other significant change is that the curriculum is designed to be more learner-focused and flexible.
“Society and the citizens of tomorrow will rely less on content knowledge (what they know) and more on what they can do with what they know,” the education ministry says on its website.
Lone gone will be the days of few choices.
Take math for example — the standard math classes will still be available, but new courses have been added such as Geometry 12, History of Math 11 and Computer Science 12. In science, it will no longer be a choice between Chemistry, Biology or Physics. Students will be able to take Science for Citizens 11, Specialized Science 12, or Environmental Science 11 and 12.
Social studies now include courses such as Genocide Studies 12, Asian Studies 12 and Contemporary Indigenous Studies 12.
These choices sound excellent, although in practice it may be difficult for schools to actually offer them. In the recent past, many schools didn’t even offer all of the math choices, which were much more limited than under the new curriculum.
Career education replaces Planning 10, and students must complete a capstone project. (A capstone project is a piece of work that shows the student’s learning and completes their K-12 education.)
Daily physical activity is no longer a required part of the standard curriculum, but physical education options have increased.
While Ontario’s new Conservative government made headlines earlier this summer for a plan to roll back sexual education, which included topics such as same-sex marriage and online bullying, B.C.’s sex education curriculum includes a focus on valuing diversity and respecting differences. In 2016, the B.C. government made it mandatory to include specific references to sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) in their anti-bullying policies. Vancouver has had such a policy since 2014, but Richmond just introduced one in June and it proved extremely controversial.
B.C.’s sexual education curriculum predates this latest update and won’t change much, other than who teaches it in secondary schools, since health has been moved away from career courses and into physical education courses, Hansman said.
“Students need to be informed. They need to have accurate, inclusive and up-to-date information about their bodies so they can make wise choices for themselves and for others,” Hansman said.
The updated graduation program is a reflection of our times and a step in the right direction. Let’s hope the necessary equipment and training are provided so students can thrive.
Tracy Sherlock writes about education and social issues for the Courier. Reach her at tracy.sherlock@gmail.com.
