TORONTO -- The Toronto District School Board will bring back the “quadmester” model for secondary students during the 2021-2022 academic year.

The TDSB confirmed the move in a memo sent to parents on Wednesday, citing the need to provide a timetable that “meets both the anticipated public health measures and students’ needs.”

Under the “quadmester” model, which was introduced for the first time this year, students take two courses at a time across four separate academic semesters. It replaced a two-semester system where students were typically enrolled in four classes at a time.

“This model will offer students certainty for the beginning of the year and allows for a common entry point for all students, especially those who may be transferring between schools or beginning high school for the first time,” the TDSB said in the memo to parents. “We do, of course, need to remain flexible and nimble, and we must continue to follow the direction provided by both the Ministry of Education and Toronto Public Health. If anything changes, we will continue to keep you informed.”

The TDSB said that the decision to continue with the “quadmester” model is based on “recent direction from the Ministry of Education.”

News about the plan for the fall comes in the wake of the ministry announcing that all school boards will have to provide a remote-learning option for the next school year, regardless of whether the pandemic has subsided enough to allow for the widespread resumption of in-person classes.

The proposed timetable for secondary schools next year is as follows:

  • Quad (Sept. to mid-November where students take two courses at once)
  • Quad (Mid-November to January where students take two courses at once)
  • Quad (February to mid- April where students take two courses at once)
  • Quad (Mid-April to June where students take two courses at once)