Administrative Procedure 202: School Day and Subject Time Elementary

Education Act: Section 170 Duties and Powers of Boards, Section 265 Duties of Principal, Section 286 Duties of Supervisory Officers; R.R.O. Reg. 298 Operation of Schools Section 11: Duties of Principals, Section 20: Duties of Teachers; Ministry of Education Policy/Program Memorandum 138 Daily Physical Activity in Elementary Schools, Grades 1-8 (October 5, 2017); PPM 160 Protected Time for Daily Mathematics Instruction, Grades 1 - 8 (September 19, 2016); PPM 168 Reading Instruction and Early Reading Screening (July 28, 2023); Ontario Schools, Kindergarten to Grade 12: Policy and Program Requirements, 2024

Administrative Procedure (AP) 200 Organization for Instruction; AP 201 School Day, Organization of; Effective Early Reading Instruction Guide, 2023; The Ontario Curriculum - French As a Second Language (2013): Core French 4-8, Extended French Grades 4 – 8, French Immersion Grades 1 – 8; Ontario Schools Policy and Program Requirements (2016); The Kindergarten Program (2016)

1.0 Organization of the School Day
The Director of Education has developed this administrative procedure which is intended to provide guidance for elementary school principals in organizing the school day; timetabling classes; and in assigning certain duties to teachers, in consultation with the School Staff Advisory Committee.

2.1 The total number of instructional minutes for pupils shall be 300 minutes per day.

2.2 Policy and program requirements for elementary school Core French programs dictate that students entering Grade 4 must receive French instruction in every year from Grade 4 through Grade 8 and must have accumulated a minimum of 600 hours of French instruction by the end of Grade 8. Once an instructional sequence has begun, the program must continue uninterrupted to Grade 8. (Ontario Curriculum French as a Second Language: Core French Grades 4-8 Extended French Grades 4-8, French Immersion Grades 1- 8, 2013).

2.3 Policy and program requirements for elementary school French Immersion programs dictate that students in French Immersion programs must be provided with a minimum of 3800 hours of instruction by the end of Grade 8. (Ontario Curriculum French as a Second Language: Core French Grades 4-8 Extended French Grades 4-8, French Immersion Grades 1- 8, 2013).

2.4 Policy and program requirements for elementary Daily Physical Activity (DPA) require that all students, including students with special education needs, must be provided with a minimum of 20 minutes per day of sustained moderate to vigorous physical activity each day during instructional time (Ontario Schools Policy and Program Requirements, 2016).

 

2.5 PPM 168 states that classroom timetables for Grades 1 to 3 are expected to allocate focused time for reading instruction in alignment with the Foundations of Language described in Strand B of The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1–8: Language, 2023.

2.6 PPM 160 states that School boards are expected to protect a block of time during every school day for teachers in Grades 1 to 8 to focus on effective mathematics instruction that supports students in achieving the expectations set out in The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1 to 8: Mathematics.

3.1 The school day consists of 300 minutes. The balanced school day offers a variation on scheduling:

3.2 Schools with a 7-12 model offer a variety of timetables/school day organizations.

4.0 Scheduling
Timetables should be kept flexible with as few interruptions as possible to maximize student learning and minimize transitions. It is expected that every effort be made to integrate all curriculum expectations where there are natural connections and relevant teaching opportunities among subjects in order to best maximize instructional time.

4.1 Elementary Grades 1-8

4.1.1. A five (5) day schedule assists with the allocation of preparation time for teachers.4.1.2. The number of teachers assigned to teach any one class must be limited to no more than 3. This applies to all elementary grades in all AMDSB schools - K-6, K-8, ⅞, 7-12.

Where possible, every effort should be made to have students start and end the day with their classroom teacher.4.1.3 Individual teacher timetables need to reflect the block times assigned to the grade or division (see Appendix A).

4.1.4 Timetables in all divisions should provide large, uninterrupted blocks of time for language and mathematics instruction (see Appendix A).

4.1.5 It is important to note that mathematics, literacy, and other subject areas may be effectively integrated to allow for a more flexible timetable.

 

4.1.6 It is a requirement that all timetables be typed and stored electronically at the school from year to year. It is a requirement that a school’s completed set of timetables be submitted to the School Superintendent. The language of instruction must be clearly defined on the subjects taught in French.

4.2 Literacy Grades 1-3

4.2.1 According to PPM 168, include uninterrupted time for explicit and systematic instruction in foundational reading for a minimum of 150 minutes per five-day cycle. This protected time for foundational reading instruction should be realized through daily blocks of at least 30 minutes within the overall daily literacy block.

4.3 Mathematics Grades 1 – 8

4.3.1 At least 300 minutes per five-day cycle will be allocated to Mathematics.
4.3.2 This is preferably in daily blocks of sixty minutes, with a minimum of forty minutes per block.
4.3.3 Mathematics should continue to be integrated into a variety of subject areas.

4.4 Kindergarten (JK/SK)

4.4.1 All Four Frames of Kindergarten programming should be addressed and integrated throughout the day as appropriate, including within scheduled times for Inquiry Play-Based Learning.

4.4.2 Consideration should be given to minimize transitions in Full-Day Kindergarten programs.

4.4.3 Consideration should be given for the amount of time dedicated to teacher- directed instruction, to ensure that the length is developmentally appropriate, allowing for complements of small group and individual instruction.

4.5 French (Core and Immersion)

4.5.1 French as a Second Language Core French instruction must be scheduled to average a minimum of 200 minutes per five (5) day schedule in order to meet the legislative requirements.

4.5.2 French as a Second Language French Immersion instruction must be scheduled to average a minimum of 800 minutes per five (5) day schedule in order to meet the legislative requirements.

4.5.3 When determining the number of French instructional minutes, transitional time for students to travel to French class must not be counted towards French instructional minute totals.

4.5.4 The daily minutes of French Instruction are reported to the Ministry through the school’s OnSIS submission. The timetables saved will be requested during an audit to support the minutes reported.

 

4.6 Daily Physical Activity (DPA)

4.6.1 Daily physical activity may be incorporated into the instructional day in a variety of ways. For example, integrating physical activity across various curriculum areas in individual blocks of five, ten, or fifteen minutes, twenty minutes or more of moderate to vigorous physical activity during a scheduled health and physical education class, or integrating physical activity into other curriculum areas.

4.6.2 All activities must be adapted, as appropriate, to ensure that all students, including students with special education needs, can participate in them. Such adaptations must be consistent with the accommodations and/or modifications outlined in a student’s Individual Education Plan.