(BlackburnNews.com file photo)(BlackburnNews.com file photo)
Midwestern

AMDSB Superintendent weighs in on de-streaming of Grade 9 courses

The Province's Education Ministry announced earlier this summer that grade nine math courses would be de-streamed this year, so that grade nine students no longer had to choose between academic or applied as they were leaving grade eight.

Avon Maitland Superintendent, Kate Creery says they were told last June there would be just one grade nine math course this year.

"There would just be the one math course and that would start in the fall of 2021. And we heard last week that the Ontario government has plans to end streaming for all grade nine courses in the next school year, so 2022-2023."

Creery says that would be more science, english, history, geography and french and all of the other grade nine courses.

Creery also notes that Ontario is the only Province that asks students to choose between academic or applied at the end of grade eight.

"The research shows that students from low income families, students who are black, racialized or from Indigenous backgrounds, or students with special needs, are more likely to choose the applied stream."

She says, that means they're four and a half times less likely to earn a high school diploma.

Creery says, by de-streaming the grade nine programs, the Ministry is making a commitment to give those students one more year to learn a little more about themselves and where they want to go.

"So more opportunities to choose those pathways and we hope that at the end all of our students will graduate, will have a diploma and then be able to choose other pathways as they come up and they learn more about themselves later on."

Creery says as they get more information about next year that will be passed on to parents and there will be consultations with parents next spring.

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