Education advocates say the province's plan to end the streaming of Grade 9 students into applied and academic courses next year is a "vital step," but that they hope the government will provide students and educators with additional resources to support the move.

"Beginning in September 2022, all Grade 9 subjects will be offered in one stream," stated Deputy Minister of Education Nancy Naylor in a memo to education stakeholders on Wednesday. This follows the introduction of a new de-streamed Grade 9 math course this fall.

Advocates have pushed for this for years, saying that streaming has disproportionate and adverse impacts on Black, racialized and Indigenous students who are more likely to be placed into applied courses.

"It's a vital step," said Annie Kidder, executive director of People for Education, in an interview.

"I'm very happy that this move is being made, it has been a long time coming after years of advocacy from many groups to different governments," said Kidder.

Naylor said the memo was intended to provide boards with course codes and descriptions for registration purposes and other 2022-23 materials.

A new de-streamed Grade 9 science course to be used in classrooms next September will be released in the spring. It will replace the current academic and applied science courses, the memo said.

Naylor said the new course would have students "develop their understanding of concepts related to biology, chemistry, physics, and earth and space science, and to relate science to technology, society, and the environment."

"Throughout the course, students will develop and refine their STEM skills as they use scientific research, scientific experimentation, and engineering design processes to investigate concepts and apply their knowledge in situations that are relevant to their lives and communities," the memo continued.

Other subjects listed in the memo including English and geography will be offered using the academic course, with the ministry noting that the course description will stay the same.

French will also be taught using the current academic courses, with the applied courses being eliminated. But the government noted the "open" course could be offered to students who have minimal knowledge of French.

Kidder said while she's not a curriculum expert, she doesn't think it's a problem that the academic courses are being used for some subjects instead of developing new ones.

"I think some of the applied curriculum has actually been problematic," she said, pointing to geography as an example.

"It did seem to disadvantage students who were in the applied stream in terms of what they were learning overall about society, about government, about land and our relationship to land, that the academic curriculum was richer and provided students with a deeper grounding in the knowledge, but also the sort of context around geography," she said, stressing that it's not so much about changing the curriculum, but rather ensuring supports are available.

"I think what's missing from this letter to directors is any details about whether or not there will be additional supports in place to support teachers in schools and students in particular as they make this change," she said.

Kidder said this includes ensuring children are prepared for de-streamed courses before they enter high school and for high school students, providing extra supports through guidance or student success teachers and keeping class sizes small.

"All of this is happening in a context of a system that has really been under strain because of the pandemic," she said. "How are we ensuring that students who may have already struggled more because of the pandemic are ready and supported to be successful as they enter Grade 9."

NDP education critic Marit Stiles agreed, saying that while destreaming is "important," she's concerned about whether the government will provide additional investments and supports.

"Without those investments and supports, destreaming isn't equitable," said Stiles.

Destreaming needs to be part of a comprehensive strategy that includes things like "anti-oppressive training" and additional financial resources starting in kindergarten, she said. For those in high school, "you still need to accept the fact that there are kids who are coming into the school system who will not have necessarily been as supported, who may have had certain disadvantages, who may need additional support, and you need to give those kids the support they're going to need to succeed either way."

Stiles also advocated for smaller class sizes, saying it's "one of the best things you can do" to help kids succeed.

Karen Littlewood, president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation, said she supports a "fully-funded de-streamed academic program in Ontario."

"The government needs to ensure that there are adequate resources in classrooms to support all students in de-streamed classes," Littlewood said, adding that students who would have chosen applied courses will see increases to their class sizes.

"We have not seen much indication that the government will provide proper funding or smaller class sizes to support de-streamed courses," she said, calling the lack of information on this so far "very concerning."

Asked about any supports, Education Minister Stephen Lecce's spokesperson, Caitlin Clark, didn't specify, noting this is the government's latest step to "remove barriers."

“Our government has continuously taken action to remove barriers for all students, including racialized children in Ontario," she said. "We will continue to take action to lift up all students, with an ambitious plan to support better pathways to the skilled trades, post-secondary, and good-paying jobs.”

Advocates call plan to end streaming in Grade 9 a ‘vital step,’ but say additional supports are necessary

Read this for free.