Summary
Today, Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education, announced that the Ontario government is taking important steps to increase student access to high quality public education and turn Ontario into a global leader of modern and digital education. You are encouraged to communicate locally the benefits of this change using the messaging enclosed.
Key Messages
- Our government is committed to putting each and every student on a path to future success.
- Online learning is a valuable tool that helps our students and that’s why we intend to make improvements to it.
- Students will be required to earn two online credits to graduate from secondary school, with exemptions for some students on an individualized basis.
- Students that graduate in the 2023-24 school year will be the first cohort that are required to complete online courses for graduation, and online courses can begin counting toward students’ graduation requirements beginning in September 2020.
- We are making adjustments to our online learning plans in response to the feedback we have received from parents, students and educators, and to provide certainty prior to course selection processes for the 2020-21 school year.
- Through this new requirement, students will leave secondary school with the transferable skills they need to succeed in work, school, and life, such as fluency with technology and independent learning skills.
- By introducing online learning, we will allow our students to:
o Select from a wide range of subjects that would otherwise not be available at their schools.
o Access courses that support multiple pathways beyond high school such as: apprenticeship, college, university, and the workplace.
o Interact with, and learn from, students across the province; and
o Grow their comfort level and skill using digital tools, while learning in virtual environments.
News Links
English: https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/54695/ontario-brings-learning-into-the-digital-age
French: https://news.ontario.ca/fr/release/54695/lontario-porte-lapprentissage-a-lere-numerique