Demonstrating Curricular Compliance in Independent Schools (2017/18)

Last updated on October 11, 2017

K-9 Curriculum

The former standardized ‘course overviews’ method of showing curricular compliance did not meet the many creative ways schools have implemented the new curriculum. Independent schools have been encouraged to develop ways of documenting curricular compliance to suit the school’s philosophy and practice.

In discussions around the province, we have found that many teachers find it helpful to create a “Year-at-a-Glance” document that allows for a high level scope & sequence planning. Many teachers are also choosing to work with unit plans to show how the unit’s learning activities link to Ministry learning standards.

The 2017/18 school year marks the second year of the new K-9 curriculum implementation, and independent school inspections for K-9 programs will review the schools’ management of the curricular transformation and implementation, and the ongoing development of curricular compliance documentation or instruments. The inspection will also review schools’ engagement with ongoing professional development that enables their educators to grow and adapt to the changes.  

Grades 10-12 curriculum

The Ministry has posted Grade 10-12 draft curricula and 2017/18 is a year for review, feedback, and trial use of these draft curricula.

For more information about the new graduation program and the grade 10-12 curriculum, please see:

For 2017/18 inspection purposes, independent schools may continue to use the traditional ‘course overview’ method to show curricular compliance. However, as schools are preparing to review and experiment with the Grade 10-12 draft curricula, schools are encouraged to also start exploring the development of ‘teacher-owned’ curricular compliance instruments (or documentation) that reflect the schools’  educational philosophy and practice. Recognizing that the transformation process will take time, inspections at the grade 10-12 level will pay attention to how schools are preparing for the curricular transformation of the graduation program. It is expected that schools will be involved with and support educators in ongoing planning and professional development around the curriculum transformation.