Ontario is getting rid of academic streaming in Grade 9.
Premier Doug Ford announced Monday that Education Minister Stephen Lecce will be putting an end to the practice, which separates students into either the hands-on applied stream or the post-secondary-track academic stream as they start high school. Ontario will also do away with behaviour-related suspensions up to Grade 3.
Research has found that streaming disproportionately affects students of colour as well as low-income students, severely limiting their chance of going on to post-secondary education.
Premier Ford said Ontario is the only province in Canada still doing it and it's unfair.
"It's not fair to certain groups of students. You're almost really stigmatizing one group saying you're only going to go to Grade 12 and then you are going to college," the Premier said.
Ford said certain groups of students are unfairly being held back and ending the practice is a good move for everybody.
"Fifty per cent of Black students don't go on to the academic side of high school, which is unfair," Ford said.
Ford said it's unfair to ask such young students to determine their future so early in life.
"You're asking a 14-year-old child to make a decision in Grade 9 for the rest of their high school career and post-secondary schools that they're going to and I don't think it's right. It's a broken system," Ford added.
Many education groups and some teachers' unions are applauding the move. The Ontario Association of Parents in Catholic Education (OAPCE) said de-streaming provides more opportunities for Grade 9 students and that many parents have said their children were at the wrong level.
"This is a more equitable and accessible way for all our children," OAPCE said.
Annie Kidder, Executive Director of People for Education, said this is amazing news after many years of advocacy from so many quarters, and wonderful work in boards.
The Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO) said this a good step.
"The Education Minister must be mindful that systemic racism starts way earlier and racism is learned through multiple means," said ETFO. "Racism can, however, be unlearned and undone with system-wide change."