Policy/Program Memorandum 151

Date of Issue: June 25, 2024

Effective: Until revoked or modified

Subject: Professional Activity Days Devoted to Provincial Education Priorities

Application:
Directors of Education
School Authorities

References: Revised Regulations of Ontario 1990, Regulation 304, “School Year Calendar, Professional Activity Days”.

This updated memorandum replaces Policy/Program Memorandum No. 151, July 28, 2023.

Introduction

The Education Act states that the Minister of Education may “establish policies and guidelines respecting criteria and topics for the professional activity days that are required by regulation and require boards to comply with the policies and guidelines.^{footnote 1[1]}

Revised Regulations of Ontario 1990, Regulation 304, “School Year Calendar, Professional Activity Days”^{footnote 2[2]},  made under the Education Act, sets out the requirements governing the establishment of school year calendars. The regulation states that school boards^{footnote 3[3]} must designate three professional activity (PA) days and may designate up to four additional PA days per school year.^{footnote 4[4]} Half a school day may be designated for instructional programming and the other half for professional learning activities, but such a day constitutes a half-day in determining the number of instructional days in the school year.^{footnote 5[5]}

Requirements for the three mandatory PA days in the 2024-25 school year are set out in this memorandum. The Ministry of Education reviews these requirements regularly to ensure that they reflect the provincial education priorities established by the Minister. If requirements change as a result of such a review, updates are made accordingly.

Context

The ministry recognizes the importance of professional learning that enhances educators’ knowledge and skills for the effective support of all students and children^{footnote 6[6]}.  For the 2023-24 school year, mandatory Professional Activity (PA) days will focus on the priority areas of:

• literacy
• mathematics
• curriculum implementation with an emphasis on literacy and STEM
• guidance and career education
• mental health
• cell phones and vaping
• bullying and school safety

In accordance with the memo sent to school boards on May 13, 2024, and regarding planning for the 2024-25 school year, this memorandum:

• confirms the topics that school boards must address during the three mandatory PA Days
• provides additional considerations and resources when planning for PA Days during the 2024-25 school year

All school and school board staff have an important role to play in supporting the success, safety, resilience, and mental health and well-being of all students in Ontario’s publicly funded education system. All staff should be equipped with the knowledge, skills and tools to provide culturally responsive and relevant learning that affirms students’ identities and meets the diverse learning needs of all students in school communities.

School staff participation in professional development is crucial to creating conditions for equitable learning outcomes for every student. Building capacity at all levels of the education system and supporting a culture of professional learning is fundamental to the success of every student.

Requirements for school boards

Regulation 304 “School Year Calendar, Professional Activity Days” under the Education Act outlines the requirements for school boards in preparing and submitting school year calendars to the ministry.

School boards are required to submit a general outline of their PA Day activities through the Ontario School Year Calendar (OSYC) application, no later than August 15, 2024. The PA Day descriptions will be reviewed by regional offices, which may be in contact with boards where necessary. Following this, boards will receive a written confirmation from the regional office, which will confirm completion of the 2024-25 school year calendar process.

School boards are also required to publicly post and submit to the ministry through the OSYC application a detailed summary of PA Day activities at least 14 days in advance of each PA Day in accordance with amendments to Regulation 304 that became effective on July 28, 2023.

The detailed summary must include the following information:

• the date, timing and format of the activities and the name of the entity hosting the activities
• the name of each school participating in the activities
• the topic or focus of the activities
• a description of the material to be covered, including the names and titles of persons presenting or delivering the material
• a description of the methods by which material is to be presented and the methods of learning that are to be engaged
• the titles of any resources that will be used as part of the activities and publication information in respect of those resources

The detailed summary must also be:

• posted in a prominent location on the website of the board or of each participating school
• distributed to parents and guardians (e.g., email, newsletters) of students enrolled in participating schools
• posted in a prominent location in the main office of the board and of each participating school
• distributed to the Chair of the school council of each participating school
• posted or distributed in any other manner that the board considers appropriate

Requirements for the three mandatory professional activity days

Professional activities relating to the required topics for the three mandatory PA Days must align with the provincial priorities on student achievement as set out in O. Reg. 224/23 Provincial Priorities in Education – Student Achievement. These priorities are:

1. Achievement of learning outcomes in core academic skills.
2. Preparation of students for future success.
3. Student engagement and well-being.

Literacy

Professional activities regarding literacy shall include:

• professional learning focused on implementation of the revised 2023 Language/Français, Grades 1-8 curriculum and the 2023 de-streamed Grade 9 English/Français courses, and on principles and requirements related to early reading screening as described in PPM 168: Reading Instruction and Early Reading Screening

Mathematics

Professional activities regarding mathematics shall include:

• supporting student achievement in K-12 Mathematics with a focus on ensuring fidelity of curriculum implementation, strengthening mathematics content knowledge for teaching, knowing the mathematics learner, and identifying and collecting key performance indicators to measure improvement in student math performance
• focusing on intentional use of high-impact instructional practices to support students in the elementary mathematics curriculum and de-streamed Grade 9 mathematics course
• implementing Universal Design for Learning and Differentiated Instruction/Assessment when planning lessons and assessing learning, to address the strengths, needs and interests of students in the classroom and maximize inclusion, engagement and success
• professional learning that is aligned with your board’s individual Math Achievement Action Plan

Curriculum implementation with an emphasis on literacy and STEM

Professional activities regarding curriculum implementation shall include new and recently revised curriculum relevant to the staff attending:

• the new de-streamed Grade 9 Geography course
• Grades 9-10 Business Studies curriculum
• Grades 9-10 Technological Education curriculum
• mental health literacy updates to the Grade 10 Career Studies course
• ongoing implementation of recently revised curriculum, including those issued for the 2023-24 school year
• supporting ongoing implementation of de-streamed Grade 9 courses
• making connections to skilled trades, transferable skills and apprenticeship

Guidance and career education

Connection between guidance counsellors and local employers/labour market with a focus on high-demand economic sectors.

Mental health, cell phones and vaping, bullying and school safety

All educators must receive professional learning on supporting children and students with prevalent medical conditions (anaphylaxis, asthma, diabetes, and/or epilepsy) in schools as per PPM 161 related to Prevalent Medical Conditions, in addition to one or more of the following:

• student safety and violent incident prevention: Supporting positive school climate, bullying prevention/intervention, progressive discipline, violent incident reporting, and legislative/policy requirements for safe schools
• addressing impacts of cellphones and vaping on student learning: Professional learning that supports educators in understanding the academic and health impacts of substance use like vaping and excessive cellphone use for students with an emphasis on enforcement requirements and effective classroom management strategies intended to remove classroom distractions and improve student achievement. Additionally, learning will highlight resources, tools, and strategies to support prevention approaches and healthy decision making for all students
• address issues connected to technology use and student safety: Cyber safety and online privacy awareness training including professional learning on potential risks from student use of online platforms and new technologies (e.g., Artificial Intelligence)
• mental health learning: Student mental health and well-being with a focus on the mandatory mental health literacy learning and implementation of PPM 169: Student Mental Health in Ontario
• educator mental health & resilience: Engaging in professional activities that promote educator self-care to support effective practice in the classrooms. Educators are at the core of student achievement, child, family, and community well-being. Opportunities to enhance well-being, reflect on practice, and engage with others on best practices. School boards should consider including early childhood educators, Educational Assistants, English as a Second-Language teachers, and other educators as appropriate, in this professional learning opportunity

Training and professional activity days are designed to elevate learning with an intentional and constructive tone. School boards are required to scrutinize the facilitators and all learning materials used on PA Days, so that boards have certainty on how the learning activities and the actual facilitator’s expertise is directly linked to the Ontario curriculum, ensuring it meets transparency measures as outlined in Regulation 304, School Year Calendar, Professional Activity Days. School boards must also ensure they respect intellectual diversity and open dialogue of staff, designed to create school environments that advance freedom of expression, respect for our differences, and the safety of every child from every walk of life.

Supporting students with special education needs, as well as anti-racism, anti-discrimination and inclusion of all students, should be integrated across all professional learning topics.

When planning professional learning activities for PA Days, school boards should consider the following factors for each of the priority areas: 

Literacy

• scientific, evidence-based approaches that emphasize direct, explicit and systematic instruction of foundational knowledge and skills in the elementary Language/Français curriculum and the de-streamed Grade 9 English/Français courses. This includes a focus on the processes of systematic and explicit tiered reading instruction as described in the Language Foundations Continuum for Reading and Writing
• implementation of Universal Design for Learning, differentiated instruction and the tiered approach to early reading instruction, including instructional practices informed by the results of early reading screening. This includes timely and more intensive instruction for students with reading difficulty, so that all students are supported to meet or exceed grade-level curricular goals, and to develop reading accuracy, fluency and comprehension
• data-based decision-making and collaborative problem solving to plan instruction and intervention at student, class, grade, school, and board levels

Mathematics

• connections to the Taking Action in Mathematics Framework, including the priority areas and board, school and classroom level look-fors for monitoring improvements in mathematics achievement
• strategies that increase the understanding of consistent implementation of high-impact instructional practices in math as described in the elementary and Grade 9 mathematics curriculum and in the ministry’s High Impact Instructional Practices in Mathematics resource
• using data to monitor the impact of interventions for students on a modified math program, with the goal of reducing/eliminating the gap and the need for below grade modifications
• building board-wide consistency by utilizing resources developed by Board Math Leads and teams, including leveraging resources from the ministry’s Math Action Team
• math instructional practices that incorporate the principles of Universal Design for Learning, differentiated instruction and the tiered approach to provide multiple avenues and responsive instruction for students to acquire, practice and demonstrate mathematical knowledge and skills

Curriculum implementation with an emphasis on literacy and STEM

School boards can also support the ongoing implementation of recently revised curriculum, including those issued for the 2023-24 school year such as:

• language/Français, Grades 1-8 and the new de-streamed Grade 9 English/Français courses
• Indigenous-focused revisions to Social Studies, Grades 1-3
• new learning on Holocaust education in Social Studies, Grade 6
• Grade 10 Computer Studies - Digital Technology and Innovations in the Changing World
• connections to skilled trades, transferable skills, and apprenticeship
• continued professional learning in Mathematics, Science and Technology

Guidance and career education

• strategies to support guidance counsellors in maintaining currency on the local labour market, including in the skilled trades. Examples include:
  • partnering with local economic sector organizations/businesses and touring local regions to learn about labour market and employment trends
  • providing opportunities for hands-on learning in the field, including by meeting with local employers, so that guidance counsellors can further support students in their pursuit of meaningful employment and fulfil local labour demands, including in the skilled trades

Mental health

• support the mental health and well-being of each student, including through the health and physical education curriculum and a focus on culturally responsive and relevant implementation of social-emotional learning across the curriculum using outdoor learning and encouraging physical activity as strategies to promote experiential, active learning and positive mental health and well-being
• Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)

Bullying and school safety

• the Policy/Program Memorandum 166: Keeping Students Safe: Policy Framework for School Board Anti-Sex Trafficking Protocols was released in July 2021
• PA Day slide deck has been developed to support school boards and school staff with their training effort to recognize, identify, respond to and prevent the sex trafficking of children and youth

School boards should consider:

• the information in the PA Day slide deck on anti-sex trafficking as core foundational knowledge that can be customized to support the implementation of local school board protocols
• the additional resources the ministry is providing to support school boards and school staff to recognize, identify, respond to and prevent the sex trafficking of children and youth. These resources include a dedicated e-community on anti-sex trafficking within the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) that is a repository for all the resources (such as, sample forms/templates, links to community organizations and service providers, etc.)

Violence prevention

School boards should consider:

• strategies and supports for educators to help students develop social skills, including conflict resolution skills
• non-stigmatizing ways for educators to proactively identify students in-risk and providing additional supports
• developing practices that promote and sustain safe, healthy, and caring school environments that support every student to feel like an integral and contributing member of the school community
• approaches for promoting positive mental health and reducing stigma associated with mental health issues
• reviewing PPM 145: Progressive discipline and promoting positive student behaviour along with the school board’s own progressive discipline policy and consider best practices for using progressive discipline that support positive student behaviour

Equity, human rights and Indigenous rights in education, anti-racism and anti-discrimination

School boards should consider:

• cultural shifts focusing on equity, human rights, and Indigenous rights are crucial for addressing structural inequities in schools and boards. Teachers must be more effective in culturally responsive instruction, assessment, and evaluation. Professional learning about equity, human rights, and Indigenous rights can be integrated into board and school improvement plans
• using and disaggregating data to identify the common factor(s) associated with students who are disproportionately not meeting provincial standards, such as students with special education needs, race, Indigenous identity, gender diversity, socio-economic status, etc., with the goal of ensuring those students receive the additional supports necessary to be successful
• ways to confront all forms of hate, including discrimination that negatively affects student’s sense of belonging, learning, achievement, and well-being, with the goal of improving outcomes for all students
• equitable learning opportunities for students with disabilities and special education needs are essential. Community organizations and resources should provide culturally responsive services and supports to students, parents, and families
• equity and inclusive education policies, with areas of focus supported by PPM No. 119, “Developing and Implementing Equity and Inclusive Education Policies in Ontario Schools", April 22, 2013

Indigenous education

School boards should consider:

• learning related to the ongoing impacts of the Indian Act, the residential school system, treaties, and historical exclusion on Indigenous peoples
• working to strengthen understanding of First Nation, Métis, and Inuit perspectives, cultures, histories, languages and contributions, and the contemporary realities of Indigenous individuals, communities, and nations
• the importance of reciprocal relationships with local First Nations, Métis, and Inuit individuals, communities, and nations to help inform approaches to school-community engagement, and teaching and learning about Indigenous content
• ways to support educators to build their confidence and professional capacity to imbed Indigenous focused content and learning

Resources for school boards

The ministry will release a list of curated resources on the mandatory topics to Directors of Education for the 2024-25 school year. This will assist school boards to develop professional learning supports.

Additional requirements and considerations

School boards are advised to review their respective collective agreements (both central and local terms) and adhere to any requirements that may apply.

While the three mandatory PA Days are focused on professional learning for teachers, school boards may include other educators on these three PA Days. For example, educational assistants and early childhood educators in kindergarten classrooms may also benefit from participating in these or other professional learning opportunities, depending on the local context.

In response to local needs, school boards may also wish to provide ongoing professional learning connected to the topics of the three mandatory PA Days, using established school board or school professional learning opportunities. Consideration should be given to collaborate with local Indigenous Education partners in planning and delivering professional development on Indigenous Education topics.

The ministry will continue to work with school boards and education partners to provide ongoing learning opportunities and resources throughout the school year to respond to needs that may arise during the school year.