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
'Most of the city is evacuating': Gridlock on Alberta highway after evacuation order in Fort McMurray
Four Fort McMurray neighbourhoods were ordered to evacuate on Tuesday as a wildfire gets closer to the city.
Sask. police seize 1.5M pieces of evidence, lay 60 more charges in child exploitation case
Saskatchewan RCMP have revealed that a historic sexual assault investigation has led to the discovery of alleged crimes against children dating back to 2005.
'Inappropriate' behaviour shuts down Dublin to New York City portal
Less than a week after two public sculptures featuring a livestream between Dublin, Ireland, and New York City debuted, 'inappropriate behaviour' in real-time interactions between people in the two cities has prompted a temporary shutdown.
Oilers starting Calvin Pickard in goal for Game 4 vs. Canucks
The Edmonton Oilers will start Calvin Pickard in net Tuesday for Game 4 of their playoff series with the Vancouver Canucks.
Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker rails against Pride month, working women in commencement speech
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker railed against Pride month, working women, President Biden's leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and abortion during a commencement address at Benedictine College last weekend.
King Charles III unveils his first official portrait since his coronation
King Charles III has unveiled the first portrait of the monarch completed since he assumed the throne, a vivid image that depicts him in the bright red uniform of the Welsh Guards against a background of similar hues.
Full List Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Alberta announces the 4 health agencies that will replace AHS later this year
The province has released more information on its plan to break up Alberta Health Services and replace it with four sector-based health agencies.
Biden administration moving ahead on US$1 billion arms package for Israel, AP sources say
The Biden administration has told key lawmakers it is sending a new package of more than US$1 billion in arms and ammunition to Israel, two congressional aides said Tuesday.