The Ministry of Education released a statement from Minister Jill Dunlop and ministry officials to the Fort Frances Times about current and future revisions and updates to curricula. The curriculum reviews in the coming school year include revisions focusing on literacy, math, science and technology for Kindergarten students, and further revisions for other grades on History and Indigenous languages.
“Our government is providing historic investments in education to ensure our children get back to basics on reading, writing, and math in the classroom,” stated Dunlop in the release,”to ensure students can succeed in and outside of the classroom in a rapidly changing global economy, our government has now made it mandatory for the ministry to review all curriculum about every five years.”
“In Ontario, the curriculum is continually reviewed to ensure that it remains current, relevant, developmentally appropriate, and reflects the needs and aspirations of diverse learners,” reads the statement from Ministry of Education officials. “Revisions are informed by research, including analysis of other curricula from across Canada and around the world. Every curriculum revision involves engagement with education stakeholders and experts on pedagogy, industry, the labour market, and academia, as well as with Indigenous partners at key stages throughout the process.”
This process is completed with specialists in the associated subject area, although no specialists were mentioned by name via ministry officials.
“Writing of curriculum expectations is done by teams of educators who are specialists in the subject area under review and have experience teaching in Ontario’s public education system,” reads the release from ministry officials. “Prior to release, a revised curriculum is reviewed by external experts. These reviewers have expertise in the subject area and are often selected from colleges, universities, subject associations, and/or professional organizations.”
So, the curriculum reviewers came up with revisions to the Kindergarten curriculum in literacy, math, science, and technology.
These include, “focused revisions to the Kindergarten curriculum,” reads the release from Ministry of Education officials, dialling in “on early literacy skills, and the foundations for math and STEM education to align with learning in the recently revised Grade 1 language, math and science and technology curriculum.”
Moreover, revisions will also be made to the history curriculum for Grades 7, 8, and 10 to include details about the “overwhelming contributions” of Black Canadians.
“Revisions to Grades 7, 8 and 10 History curriculum [are being made] to add new mandatory learning on the experiences and history of Black Canadians. Beginning in the 2025-26 school year, all students will learn about the achievements of Black communities in Canada, as well as the many challenges faced and overcame, including contemporary impacts of anti-Black racism as part of the mandatory curriculum expectations,” reads the release. “Students will also now learn about the overwhelming contributions of Black individuals to Canada’s foundation as a young nation and the obstacles they faced in the pursuit of building a democratic, inclusive, and prosperous country.”
Another addition to the Grade 10 curriculum is the inclusion of the Holodomor famine, sometimes referred to as the Holodomor Genocide Famine or Ukrainian Famine.
“[These] revisions to Grade 10 History will also include new and expanded mandatory learning on the Holocaust and the Holodomor famine. This revision will include new mandatory learning on the Holodomor famine and its impact on the Ukrainian community in Canada, as well as the consequences of extreme political ideologies like those from Stalin’s totalitarian communist regime.”
Yet another revision is the introduction of Algonquin as an instructional language, following suit with the introduction of Inuktitut in 2021.
“In August 2024, as part of the commitment to supporting Indigenous language revitalization and reconciliation, the ministry added Algonquin as a language of instruction within Ontario’s Indigenous languages curriculum,” stated Ministry officials. “The introduction of Algonquin as a language of instruction will allow for programming that reflects the culture of Algonquin and the distinct language. In 2021, Inuktitut was added as a language of instruction at the elementary and secondary level within Ontario’s Indigenous languages curricula.”
