Administrative Procedure 204: Program Planning
Legal References:
Education Act: Section 264 Duties of Teacher: Pursuit of Learning; Education Act: Section 265 Duties of Principal: Examinations and Reports; Education Act: Section 286 Duties of Supervisory Officers: Assist Teachers; R.R.O. Reg 298: Section 20 Duties of Teachers: Effective Instruction; The Ontario Curriculum Policy Documents K-12; Growing Success: Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting in Ontario Schools 2010; Ontario Schools Kindergarten to Grade 12 Policy and Program Requirements, 2016; Growing Success - The Kindergarten Addendum, 2016
Related References:
Administrative Procedure (AP) 201 School Day, Organization of; AP 202 School Day and Subject Time Elementary
1. Program Planning
1.1 The Director of Education has developed this administrative procedure to articulate system expectations related to program planning.
1.2 As indicated in Ontario Schools Kindergarten to Grade 12 Policy and Program Requirements, program plans must reflect ministry policy related to: Healthy, Safe, and Accepting Schools (section 1.1), Environmental Education (section 1.22), Equity and Inclusive Education (section 1.3), Indigenous Education (section 1.4), Financial Literacy Education (section 1.5), Collaborative Professionalism (section 1.6), English Language Learners (section 3.1), Students with Special Education Needs (see section 3.3), and Guidance and Career Education Program (section 2.4) and Assessment, Evaluation, and Reporting (section 2.3). In addition to the curriculum expectations, teachers must address the learning skills and work habits described in Growing Success: Assessment, Evaluation, and Reporting in Ontario Schools (section 2.3).
2. Elementary Requirements
2.1 Access to a teacher's daily plans and program plans shall be provided to the assigned occasional/temporary teacher(s), administrator(s) of the school, Superintendents of the Board, and the Director of Education.
2.2 The plans described in this administrative procedure are for staff use only. Parent/guardian access to a teacher's plans may be granted at the discretion of the Director.
2.3 Daily Plans
2.3.1 Daily plans must be prepared for each school day and must be of sufficient detail and clarity for a replacement teacher to take over the class. These plans must be accessible to the administrators of the school.
2.3.2 Daily plans are highly individualized in design and format. However, they should include the following components: a) time frame b) subject area of the Ontario curriculum c) learning goal(s) of the lesson(s) d) space resources needed (e.g., library, computer lab) e) materials/resources needed f) teaching strategy/strategies specified g) lesson(s), task(s), or assignment(s) h) assessment strategies, where applicable i) student accommodations and modifications, where appropriate.
2.4 Program Planning
2.4.1 Teachers are required to develop a format for their program plans that is flexible and responsive to their teaching and the needs of the students, and is aligned with the overall expectations in the Ontario Curriculum documents or the Kindergarten Program, and to submit it as directed by the Principal, no earlier than September 30th. Strategies for instruction, assessment and evaluation appropriate to the students’ range of learning needs, including accommodations, differentiated instructional strategies, etc. should be included.
2.4.2 All curriculum expectations and learning skills must be addressed in program planning as outlined in AP 377 reporting requirement requirements.
2.4.3 Kindergarten program plans must be responsive and flexible in nature and reflect the Overall Expectations and Four Frames as outlined in the Kindergarten Program 2016 document. Program plans must reflect current kindergarten pedagogy in play-based inquiry learning, and documentation and assessment practices as per Growing Success - The Kindergarten Addendum, 2016.
3. Secondary Requirements
3.1 Daily Plans
3.1.1 Daily plans must be prepared for each school day and must be of sufficient detail and clarity for a replacement teacher to take over the class. These plans must be accessible to the administrators of the school.
3.1.2 Daily plans are highly individualized in design and format. However, they should include the following components:
a) time frame
b) subject area of the Ontario curriculum
c) learning goal of the lesson(s)
d) space resources needed (e.g., library, computer lab)
e) materials/resources needed
f) teaching strategy(s) specified
g) lesson(s), task(s), or assignment(s)
h) assessment strategies, where applicable
i) student accommodations and modifications, where appropriate
b) subject area of the Ontario curriculum
c) learning goal of the lesson(s)
d) space resources needed (e.g., library, computer lab)
e) materials/resources needed
f) teaching strategy(s) specified
g) lesson(s), task(s), or assignment(s)
h) assessment strategies, where applicable
i) student accommodations and modifications, where appropriate
3.2 Outlines of Courses of Study
3.2.1 As per Ontario Schools: Kindergarten to Grade 12: Policy and Program Requirements (2016): “the principal of a secondary school will retain on file up-to-date copies of the outlines of all of the courses of study for courses offered at the school. These course outlines must be available at the school for parents and students to examine” (p. 57).
3.2.2 Secondary teachers shall complete course outlines as requested by their principal.
3.2.3 All curriculum expectations and learning skills must be addressed in program planning. See AP 377 for reporting requirements.
3.2.4 Outlines of Course of Study in the secondary school will include at least the following information:
a) the name of the ministry’s curriculum policy document(s) from which the outline of the course has been developed;
b) the name of the board, school, and department, as well as the names of the department head, the classroom program developers or teachers, and the dates of development and revision;
c) the course title, course type, grade, course code, and credit value;
d) the prerequisite(s) if any;
e) the overall curriculum expectations;
f) an outline of the course content, including unit titles in the sequence in which the material will be studied;
g) teaching strategies appropriate to the course type (e.g. strategies reflecting the appropriate balance of theoretical components and practical applications for the particular type of course) and teaching strategies appropriate to the range of students’ learning needs;
h) strategies for the assessment and evaluation of student performance appropriate to the course type and to the students’ range of learning needs;
i) a description of how the course incorporates, as appropriate, consideration for program planning that aligns with ministry and board policy and initiatives (e.g., planning related to students with special education needs, English Language Learners, environmental education, equity and inclusive education, financial literacy education, the Ontario, First Nation, Métis, and Inuit Education Policy Framework, the role of information and communications technology, career education, cooperative education, health and safety);
j) the names of the textbook(s) and resource materials which are essential to the course
b) the name of the board, school, and department, as well as the names of the department head, the classroom program developers or teachers, and the dates of development and revision;
c) the course title, course type, grade, course code, and credit value;
d) the prerequisite(s) if any;
e) the overall curriculum expectations;
f) an outline of the course content, including unit titles in the sequence in which the material will be studied;
g) teaching strategies appropriate to the course type (e.g. strategies reflecting the appropriate balance of theoretical components and practical applications for the particular type of course) and teaching strategies appropriate to the range of students’ learning needs;
h) strategies for the assessment and evaluation of student performance appropriate to the course type and to the students’ range of learning needs;
i) a description of how the course incorporates, as appropriate, consideration for program planning that aligns with ministry and board policy and initiatives (e.g., planning related to students with special education needs, English Language Learners, environmental education, equity and inclusive education, financial literacy education, the Ontario, First Nation, Métis, and Inuit Education Policy Framework, the role of information and communications technology, career education, cooperative education, health and safety);
j) the names of the textbook(s) and resource materials which are essential to the course
NOTE: When considering resources to be used, teachers must ensure that all print, auditory and visual resources have been previewed/screened to determine that the content is appropriate, prior to their use in the classroom.
Revised September 2021