Some Ontario school boards ditching 'quadmester' system for 2021-22 year
Some Ontario school boards plan to abandon the much-derided "quadmester" system for high schoolers come September, though students will still have to sit through extra-long classes.
The Toronto District School Board and Halton District School Board have told parents that they will go ahead with a "modified semester" system that would see students take four courses over a longer term, alternating which two classes they have each week.
"The modified semester offers more face-to-face time between students and teachers, encouraging an opportunity to build relationships and support an increased sense of belonging in class," the Toronto board said in a message to parents.
"It also offers a slower pace by learning over a longer period of time than the quadmester model."
Both the TDSB and HDSB said the plan has the Ministry of Education's stamp of approval.
The move comes after the boards said the Ministry of Education directed them last month to continue with the quadmester system in order to prevent kids from mixing with too many of their peers, for fear they might spread COVID-19.
Quadmesters, put in place for the 2020-2021 school year, saw students take two courses at a time for a period of roughly nine weeks.
In lieu of that, said TDSB spokesman Ryan Bird, the board proposed the modified semester system as an alternative. The board is still determining how long a semester will be, but it will last longer than the quadmester's nine weeks.
The pre-pandemic norm was 300 minutes of class time, often divided into 60-minute periods.
The Halton school board said it would prefer to offer standard semesters without the overlong classes.
The modified semester, running over 20 weeks, will allow them to switch to such a model partway through the academic year if the provincial government allows it, the HDSB told parents.
The TDSB, meanwhile, said it was motivated to find an alternative to quadmesters due to pushback from parents.
"We realize that this is not a perfect solution," Bird said of the modified semesters. "But under the current guidelines, we're trying to make it as close to normal as we can."
There's been a strong backlash to quadmesters from parents and students who say that it's difficult to concentrate during lengthy classes, and the reduced timeframe for courses makes the workload unmanageable.
An online petition urging the province to ditch quadmesters and cohorts in September has garnered more than 15,000 signatures.
Joanne Pearson, the Collingwood, Ont., mom of three who started the petition, said it's been a tough year for her sons.
"You're compressing a curriculum into 10 weeks, so it's been a real struggle," she said. "Things like English, you're now expected to read a novel and write an essay within a couple days timeframe."
The modified semester system fixes some of the problems, giving students more time to complete assignments and study for tests, she said, but she thinks things should return to the pre-pandemic normal in September.
"These kids and these teachers will have two doses (of COVID-19 vaccine) by September," Pearson said. "That's happening quicker than we ever thought it could."
A spokeswoman for Education Minister Stephen Lecce didn't comment on the quadmester pushback or the modified semesters, but said the government wants things to get back to normal as quickly as possible.
"With all students aged 12+ and education workers prioritized for double vaccination prior to September, this will enable more flexibility and allow for a more normal in-class learning experience -- including clubs, sports, and extra-curriculars," Caitlin Clark said in an email, pointing to the province's investments in the education sector.
The province is also requiring that all school boards offer a remote learning option for students come September, giving parents a choice about whether they feel safe sending their kids back to the classroom.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 16, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.