Published plans and annual reports 2017-2018: Ministry of Education

ISSN # 2369-1905 (online)

Ministry overview

Mandate

The Ministry of Education provides one of the most important public services to Ontarians.

Ontario's publicly funded early years and education system is recognized as one of the best in the world, and the ministry is committed to making it even better.

Ministry contribution to priority outcomes

The ministry will continue to focus on achievement and well-being by providing all learners with the best possible publicly funded education. And the ministry will continue to invest in the early years and the education system to build a strong workforce, a vibrant economy and a bright future for the province's children and students.

Since 2003, the government has made great progress in helping more students succeed and reach their full potential.

Over the last 14 years, Ontario's education system has been recognized as one of the best in the world. Our path forward will continue building on this solid foundation and continue progress on three key priorities.

Ministry priorities and programs

1. Achieving Excellence: A Renewed Vision for Ontario

   A key priority is to continue our progress in implementing Achieving Excellence: A Renewed Vision for Education in Ontario. The vision outlines four key goals: achieving academic excellence, ensuring equity, promoting well-being and enhancing public confidence.

2. Early years and child care

   A second key priority for the ministry is the continued modernization of early years and child care system.

3. Highly Skilled Workforce

   One of the most significant challenges and opportunitiesis how to best prepare Ontario students for a rapidly changing, technology-driven, globalized world.

   The third key priority for the ministry is the significant contribution to Ontario's Highly Skilled Workforce investment plan.

   For example, the ministry will:

   • Enhance supports for experiential learning opportunities for students from kindergarten to Grade 12
   • Expand the Specialist High Skills Major programs for students
   • Promote multiple career pathways for students through improved Guidance and Career Education Curriculum supports
   • Enhance student exposure to science, engineering and technology fields through the Science and Innovation strategy

Equity and response to Truth and Reconciliation Call to Action

The ministry will continue to make investments in Indigenous education to improve student achievement and well-being.

This plan includes investments that support equity, recognizes the power of evidence and research to be more precise and bold in our actions to address systemic barriers, and continues to close achievement gaps, including between Indigenous and other students.

Together with Indigenous partners and education stakeholders, the ministry is co-developing a comprehensive strategy to support and implement the mandatory enhancements to the Ontario curriculum – as part of our response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action.

The government has also made the historic commitment to increase the number of culturally relevant licensed child care spaces and child and family programs off reserve; and make child and family programs available in more First Nations communities.

Alignment of programs with the government's priorities

The following chart below outlines the key government priorities that the ministry directly supports through its range of services and supports.

Key performance indicators

The ministry's key performance indicators support and measure progress on the four interconnected goals of achieving excellence, ensuring equity, promoting well-being and enhancing public confidence.

The ministry and its partners benefit from a strong foundation in collaborative evidence-informed decision-making and performance measurement, including:

• A shared understanding within the ministry and with the sector around vision, goals, and how to measure performance, e.g., Achieving Excellence.
• A continued focus on meeting student achievement targets and increasing equity of outcomes.
• Using information, data and research to be more precise in our actions to address systemic barriers while targeting programs and services for equitable impact.
• Continuing to leverage data to inform policies and make program decisions for quality services, improved equity of outcomes and to increase our understanding and supports for transitions i.e., childcare through to postsecondary education.

The ministry will ensure program outcomes are aligned with the goals of Achieving Excellence and mandate letters by:

• Demonstrating long-term planning, including setting targets.
• Continuing to focus on stakeholder engagement. This will help determine how progress is defined and measured, e.g., demographic data such as race/ethnicity and parental education, well-being, self-identified Indigenous student achievement and graduation rates.

Results and target outcomes

Equity at school entry

Definition: A measure of the overall developmental health and well-being of children across 5 developmental domains on the Early Development Instrument (EDI) at entry to Grade 1.

The % of children on track in 2014-15 was 70.6%.
Target for 2018-19: 72.4%

Elementary achievement

Definition: An overall measure of the percentage of Ontario students meeting or exceeding the provincial standard (a ‘B' grade) in reading, writing and mathematics. This includes results across all 12 elementary assessments in Grades 3 and 6 for both English and French language systems, collected independently by the Education Quality and Accountability Office.

In 2015-2016, 71% of students met or exceeded provincial standard.
Target: 75%

Graduation rate

Definition: A measure of the percentage of Ontario students who graduate with a high school diploma within five years of entering secondary school.

In 2016, 86.5 % of students graduated within 5 years.
Ongoing target: 85%

Indigenous student graduation rate^{footnote 1[1]}

Definition: A measure of the percentage of self-identified First Nation, Métis and Inuit students who graduate with a high school diploma within five years.

Baseline to be established in fall 2017

School condition

Definition: The five-year comparable Facility Condition Index (FCI) for school buildings measures the condition of all schools over a five-year period. The closer the FCI is to zero, the better the condition of the school.

In 2016-17, the 5-year comparable FCI was 27.5%.
Target: 23% in 2021-22

Investing in Ontario's future

Education is one of the most valued public services in the province. To build Ontario's economy, its people and communities must succeed. The ministry is committed to working with its partners to build opportunity today, and secure the future for all Ontarians.

Through its wise investments, the ministry will continue to build on its strong publicly funded early years and education system – to strengthen Ontario's competitive advantage by investing in people's talent and skills, creating jobs and providing vital public services to families and communities.

We have so much to be proud of in Ontario. Our accomplishments have built a strong foundation for future success. Building on all that we have achieved, we will continue to engage our education partners in our journey, including Ontario's educators, students, principals, board staff and parents.

By working together, we can give all of our children the opportunity to reach their potential. We can support their success inside and outside of the classroom. And we can build future prosperity for all Ontarians.

Ministry organization chart

• Minister, Mitzie Hunter
  • Parliamentary Assistant, Granville Anderson
  • Minister Responsible for Early Years and Child Care, Indira Naidoo-Harris
    • Deputy Minister, Bruce Rodrigues
      • Communications Branch, Murray Leaning
      • Executive Assistant, Claudine Munroe
      • Education Equity Secretariat, Patrick Case
        • Education Equity Initiatives Branch, Rachel Osborne (Acting)
      • System Planning, Research and Innovation Division, Richard Franz (Acting), Assistant Deputy Minister
        • Susan Jacobs (Acting), Executive Assistant
        • Strategic Planning and Transformation Branch, Russ Riddell
        • Education Research and Evaluation Strategy Branch, Erica van Roosmalen
        • Incubation and Design Branch, Andrew Sally (Acting)
        • Education Statistics and Analysis Branch, Eric Ward
      • Education Labour & Finance Division, Andrew Davis (Acting), Assistant Deputy Minister
        • Douglas Ngira-Batware (Acting), Executive Assistant
        • Education Labour Relations Office, Brian Blakeley (Acting)
        • Labour Relations Operations Branch, Vacant
        • French-Language Labour Relations Operations Branch, Dianne Paquette
        • Labour Relations Policy Branch, Elizabeth Gordon (Acting)
        • Education Finance Office, Doreen Lamarche (Acting)
        • Education Funding Branch, Andrew Bright (Acting)
        • Financial Analysis and Accountability Branch, Med Ahmadoun
        • Labour and Finance Implementation Branch, Romina Di Pasquale (Acting)
      • Capital & Business Support Division, Joshua Paul (Acting), Assistant Deputy Minister
        • Kate Ryan (Acting), Executive Assistant
        • Capital Policy Branch, Vacant
        • Capital Program Branch, Colleen Hogan
        • School Board Business Support Branch, Cheri Hayward
      • Early Years & Child Care Division, Shannon Fuller, Assistant Deputy Minister
        • Amy Lee (Acting), Executive Assistant
        • Early Years & Child Care Policy Branch, Ragaven Sabaratnam (Acting)
        • Early Years & Child Care Programs and Service Integration Branch, Julia Danos
        • Child Care Quality Assurance and Licensing Branch, Holly Moran (Acting)
        • Business Planning Outcomes and Assessments Branch, Maxx Phillippe-Hollott (Acting)
      • Indigenous Education & Well Being Division, Denise Dwyer, Assistant Deputy Minister
        • Fana Seife (Acting), Executive Assistant
        • Indigenous Education Office, Taunya Paquette
        • Safe & Healthy Schools Branch, Debra Cormier (Acting)
        • Inclusive Education Branch, Ruth Flynn
        • Policy, Priorities & Engagement Branch, Suzanne Gordon (Acting)
      • Student Support & Field Services Division, Martyn Beckett, Assistant Deputy Minister
        • Mitchell Shore, Executive Assistant
        • Special Education /Success for All Branch, Louise Sirisko
        • Provincial and Demonstration Schools Branch, Dr. June Rogers
        • Field Services Branch [Regional Offices: Barrie; London; Ottawa; Sudbury-North Bay; Thunder Bay; and Toronto and Area], Dr. Steven Reid
      • Student Achievement Division, Cathy Montreuil, Assistant Deputy Minister
        • Josie Vite, Executive Assistant
        • Leadership, Collaboration and Governance Branch, Bruce Drewett
        • Professionalism, Teaching Policy and Standards Branch, Demetra Saldaris
        • Curriculum Assessment and Student Success Policy Branch, Shirley Kendrick
        • Program Implementation Branch, Sandra Bickford
        • Student Achievement Supports Branch, Bruce W. Shaw
      • French Language Teaching, Learning and Achievement Division, Denys Giguère (Acting), Assistant Deputy Minister
        • Arianne Matte (Acting), Executive Assistant
        • French-Language Education, Policies and Programs Branch, Lilian Patry (Acting)
        • French-Language Teaching & Learning Branch, Vacant
      • Corporate Management and Services Division, Bohodar Rubashewsky, Assistant Deputy Minister
        • Kate Joakim (Acting), Executive Assistant
        • Strategic Human Resources Branch, Lisa Brisebois
        • Corporate Coordination Branch, Sarah Truscott;
        • Corporate Finance and Services Branch, Sandra Yee (Acting)
        • Ontario Internal Audit Education Audit Service Team, Warren McCay
        • Legal Services Branch, Shannon Chace
      • Community Services I and IT Cluster, Soussan Tabari, Chief Information Officer / Assistant Deputy Minister
        • Marie Dearlove, Executive Assistant
        • iACCESS Solutions Branch, Sanjay Madan
        • Strategic Planning and Business Relationship Management Branch, Lolita Singh
        • Data Collection and Decision Support Solution Branch, Carm Scarfo
        • Case and Grant Management Solutions Branch, Sanaul Haque
  • Agencies, Boards, and Commissions:
    • Advisory Council on Special Education
    • Curriculum Council
    • Education Quality and Accountability Office
    • Languages of Instruction Commission of Ontario
    • Ontario Educational Communications Authority
    • Ontario French-Language Educational Communications Authority
    • Provincial Schools Authority

Download printer-friendly organization chart (JPG, 79 KB).

Agencies, Boards and Commissions (ABCs)

The ministry is responsible for the following classified agencies:

Operational enterprise agencies

Ontario Educational Communications Authority (TVO)

TVO is Ontario's publicly funded educational media organization. TVO provides high-quality English-language educational programming and services through broadcast, distance education, and interactive web access. Distance education for secondary school credit is provided through the Independent Learning Centre. TVO is governed by the Ontario Educational Communications Authority Act. Its broadcast licence is governed by the federal Broadcasting Act and CRTC licensing.

Office des télécommunications éducatives de langue française de l'Ontario (TFO)

The Ontario French-language Educational Communications Authority (TFO) provides high-quality educational and cultural multimedia services and content to the 12 French-language school boards and the broader Franco-Ontarian community. The organization also provides French as a Second Language resources to Ontario's 60 English-language school boards. TFO's programming, support services and resources contribute to meeting the ministry's student success priorities. TFO focuses on French-language and culture initiatives, that support the early years, literacy and numeracy, e-learning, and the Politique d'aménagement linguistique (PAL).

Operational service agencies

Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO)

EQAO is responsible for ensuring greater accountability in and enhancing the quality of education in Ontario. This is achieved through the development and administration of large-scale student assessments and the public release of assessment findings together with recommendations for system improvement.

Provincial Schools Authority

The Provincial Schools Authority (PSA) was established in 1975 under the Provincial Schools Negotiations Act. It is the employer of record for teachers, principals and vice-principals employed in provincially operated schools. The School Boards Collective Bargaining Act, 2014 (SBCBA) governs collective bargaining for teachers in the education sector. The SBCBA establishes two-tiers of collective bargaining, central and local, for teachers' bargaining units. The Ontario Public School Boards' Association (OPSBA) represents the PSA at central negotiations. EDU represents the PSA at local negotiations. The PSA also handles grievances, leaves and related administrative functions.

Advisory agencies

Minister's Advisory Council on Special Education

The Minister's Advisory Council on Special Education advises the minister on any matter related to the establishment and provision of special education programs and services for students with special education needs.

Curriculum Council

The Curriculum Council provides high-level strategic policy advice to the minister on issues affecting the elementary and secondary curriculum. The Curriculum Council allows a forum of knowledgeable English-language and French-language education sector leaders to engage in high-level discussion, at the request of the minister, and provide advice, driven by sound educational pedagogy. As required, the Council may convene a working group of experts to gather further information and conduct consultations to inform their deliberations.

Ministry financial information

The following chart depicts the ministry's investment in 2017-18 in activities that provide Ontario students with an excellent and accountable elementary/secondary education, so their futures and that of the province will be characterized by continued prosperity, stability and growth.

2017/18 Ministry budget by program – operating expense^{footnote 3[3]}

2017/18 Ministry budget by program – capital expense^{footnote 4[4]}

Ministry planned expenditures 2017-18 ($M)^{footnote 5[5]}

2017/18 Ministry expenditure (operating and capital)^{footnote 3[3]} – total $27,976.4M

Total operating and capital summary by vote

Appendix

2016-17 Annual Report

Ontario's renewed vision is the cornerstone of the ministry's mandate, and will continue to guide our work for years to come.

The following pages provide a snapshot of the accomplishments over the last year, but this list is by no means exhaustive.

Highlights of 2016-17 achievements

A key priority is to continue the progress in implementing the ministry's mandate commitment, Achieving Excellence: A Renewed Vision for Education in Ontario.

Some highlights of the ministry's progress made on the four goals include:

Renewed math strategy

Ontario has dedicated more than $60 million to help students across the province achieve better results in mathematics. Math is a critical requirement for many of the jobs of today and tomorrow. Key elements of the renewed strategy include:

• A minimum of 60 minutes each day of protected learning time for effective mathematics instruction and assessment for students in Grades 1 to 8.
• Up to three math lead teachers in all elementary schools.
• Increased achievement and engagement of students, particularly those enrolled in the Grade 9 applied mathematics program.

High school graduation rate

Ontario's high school graduation rate increased to 86.5 per cent in 2016 – the highest level in the province's history, surpassing the government's 85 per cent target. This means that more students than ever are graduating with the skills and knowledge they need to reach their full potential.

Preparing for the jobs of the future

Ontario has expanded two programs to help more high school students get the skills and knowledge they need for the jobs of the future and earn credits towards the next step in their postsecondary education.

• The province's Specialist High Skills Major program accommodated an additional 2,000 students and just over 100 new programs in the 2016-17 school year. More than 48,000 students were enrolled in 1,835 Specialist High Skills Majors programs across the province.
• Ontario also expanded the Dual Credit program to include 400 more students across the province. This program helps students earn credits that count toward their high school diploma as well as their postsecondary certificate, college diploma, degree or apprenticeship certification.

Ontario investing $1.1 billion to improve school buildings

In June 2016, the ministry announced $1.1 billion in increased funding over two years to address school repairs and renewal projects. The funding is estimated to benefit more than 2,100 schools that have repair and renewal projects valued at $100,000 or more.

Ending fees for child care wait lists

Ontario ended fees for child care wait lists to improve the accessibility of child care and make life easier for families. The ban took effect September 1, 2016, and prevents licensed child care centres and home child care agencies from charging fees or requiring deposits to join child care wait lists.

Helping students with special needs

Based on consultations held in spring 2016, Ontario announced next steps to strengthen supports for students who are Deaf or hard of hearing, blind or have low vision, deafblind, or have severe learning disabilities.

The province announced that it would:

• Keep all provincial and demonstration schools open.
• Pilot intensive reading intervention projects in school boards to increase the availability and responsiveness of supports for students with severe learning disabilities in their local communities.
• Establish a reference group to provide guidance and input on strengthening supports for students who are Deaf or hard of hearing.
• Pursue legislative changes to transfer the governance structure of Centre Jules-Léger to the 12 French-language school boards to better support French-language students.

238 new licensed child care rooms across province

Ontario invested more than $88 million to build 238 new licensed child care rooms in schools across the province, delivering on its commitment to build safe, high-quality, licensed child care spaces for Ontario families.

In total, this investment supports approximately 4000 new spaces opening across the province in the next two years in areas where there is significant demand. Included in this investment are 62 additional school-based rooms to support child and family support programs.

New schools across Ontario in 2016

Thanks to an investment of nearly $360 million from the province for the 2016-17 school year, Ontario's school boards opened 29 new schools, plus an additional 16 schools have undergone major additions and renovations.

These modern facilities offer an enhanced learning experience and will support student achievement and well-being for generations to come.

Full-day kindergarten reaches more than one million Ontario students

Ontario's full-day kindergarten (FDK) program has enrolled more than one million students and will save families an estimated $1 billion in child care costs by the end of the 2016-17 school year.

FDK reaches approximately 260,000 students annually throughout the province in approximately 3,600 schools, saving families up to $6,500 per year in child care costs. FDK also makes it easier for parents to fully participate in the workforce, which helps increase their opportunities and strengthens the economy.

Since its launch in 2010, Ontario has invested $1.5 billion in school boards to build or renovate FDK classrooms, making FDK one of the largest investments in education in a generation.

Supporting 100,000 more children to access licensed child care spaces

Ontario is improving access to affordable, accessible, high-quality and responsive child care and early years programming for families across the province. Ontario has committed to helping 100,000 more infants, toddlers and preschoolers access licensed child care within the next five years, with the first spaces opening in 2017.

Approximately 20 per cent of 0-4 year olds in Ontario are currently in licensed child care. Research indicates that demand is much higher. Helping 100,000 more children access quality licensed child care will support access for about 40 per cent of children 0-4 years old.

As a first step in helping 100,000 more children access licensed child care within the next five years, Ontario has supported approximately 3,400 new licensed child care spaces in schools this year. This investment helps people in their everyday lives by promoting early learning and development for children while helping more parents find quality, affordable care.

Improving financial literacy for Ontario students

In recognition of Financial Literacy Month in November, Ontario showcased its various resources and supports for students to improve their financial literacy, including:

• Continued to embed the concepts of financial literacy into subjects across the curriculum from Grade 4 to 12. Students are given opportunities to develop the skills to make informed financial decisions. Financial literacy builds students' understanding of personal finances, as well as how to be responsible consumers, how to protect their personal information online, and how to understand their role in an increasingly complex global economy.
• Provided matching funding to the Ontario Chamber of Commerce to support Funny Money, an innovative program for high school students.
• Supporting financial literacy learning in the context of planning for the future as part of the mandatory Grade 10 Careers Studies course.

Ontario supporting student achievement and well-being

Ontario sought input on student well-being to inform a provincewide plan for kindergarten to Grade 12 that supports learning and helps to ensure that students can flourish and thrive.

The province engaged with a diverse range of partners in education, health care, youth justice, social services, business, arts and culture and the non-profit sector, as well as francophone partners and communities to incorporate their unique identities, cultural backgrounds and perspectives.

The ministry continues to work with Indigenous partners to move forward together to co-develop well-being indicators for Indigenous students that will also inform a broader approach for all students, while addressing the diverse needs and unique identities of Indigenous students, communities and partners.

The ministry plans to continue the ongoing dialogue with education partners in order to inform the interconnected, but distinct, priority of staff well-being in Ontario schools.

Ontario strengthens disciplinary process for teachers

On November 15, 2016, Bill 37, the Protecting Students Act, 2016, passed third reading following a debate in the Ontario legislature.

Ontario is protecting children and students by making the disciplinary process for school teachers more clear and transparent.

The act and subsequent regulations will improve the investigation and disciplinary processes of the Ontario College of Teachers, reduce the potential for conflict of interest and help protect children, students and teachers by:

• Ensuring a teacher's certificate is revoked automatically if he or she has been found guilty of specified acts of sexual abuse or acts relating to child pornography.
• Requiring school boards and other employers to inform the Ontario College of Teachers when they have restricted a teacher's duties or dismissed them for professional misconduct.
• Allowing the Ontario College of Teachers to share information with the school board if the subject of a complaint poses an immediate risk to a student or child.
• Requiring the Ontario College of Teachers to publish all decisions made by its disciplinary committee.
• Imposing new timelines to resolve cases more quickly and efficiently.

Improving access to child care for families across Ontario

Ontario is improving access to affordable, high-quality and responsive child care and early years programming for families across the province.

Helping students learn to code

Ontario celebrated Computer Science Education Week (Dec 5-11, 2016) with new supports for coding and computer skills in schools across the province such as:

• New resource for teachers: helping elementary educators integrate computational skills, including coding skills, into teaching and learning with new lesson plans that can be used in all grades and across subjects, particularly math, science and technology.
• Supporting digital learning: supporting school boards and educators in transforming their teaching and learning practices, buying digital tools and providing new opportunities for teachers to build capacity in the areas of coding and computational thinking.
• Hands-on learning for students: As recommended by the Highly Skilled Workforce Expert Panel, Ontario is expanding experiential learning opportunities for students, including robotics competitions, and working to increase participation in coding and computer programs for students in Grades 11 and 12. Ontario's Specialist High Skills Major enables students to build a foundation of sector-focused knowledge and skills, including coding and computer systems, before graduating.
• Hour of Code: Schools across Ontario participated in Hour of Code — a global movement reaching 180 countries where children and adults participated in one-hour coding tutorials in more than 45 different languages.

Support for child care professionals

For a third straight year, Ontario increased wages to help close the wage gap between registered early childhood educators (RECEs) working in full-day kindergarten programs and RECEs/child care professionals in licensed child care settings. This increase will help retain child care professionals in licensed child care settings and encourage growth in the sector, ensuring that children and families across the province continue to benefit from safe, high-quality child care that promotes early learning and development.

As part of Ontario's commitment to supporting child care professionals, the program will receive ongoing, annual funding. Consistent with 2016, in 2017, the province will continue to provide:

• An ongoing wage enhancement, up to $2 per hour plus benefits, for eligible child care workers and home visitors in the licensed child care sector.
• An ongoing enhancement, up to $20 per day, for eligible home child care providers.
• A raise in the maximum hourly wage to be eligible for the wage enhancement – an increase of 1.5 per cent to $26.68 per hour. For home child care providers, the daily fees maximum will be $266.80 per day.

More support for parents to get involved in their children's learning

Ontario is making it easier for more parents to get involved in their children's learning and well-being inside and outside the classroom, with funding for thousands of local projects across the province. The Parents Reaching Out grants are intended to help reduce barriers to parent engagement.

Ontario strengthening negotiation process with the education sector

In February 2017, amendments were made to the School Boards Collective Bargaining Act, 2014. These changes build upon the existing successful model for collective bargaining in the education sector by making it more flexible, transparent and consistent.

Some examples of the amendments include:

• Giving students and parents more notice of labour disruptions
• Allowing collective agreements to be extended

The amendments to the Act were informed by extensive consultations with bargaining partners and recommendations from the Auditor General.

2017-2019 Central agreements for teachers and education workers

After successful negotiations, extensions or new two-year agreements have been reached with all education workers' unions and teachers' federations. These contract extensions were reached in partnership with the trustees' associations representing the school boards.

Building Ontario up

Since 2003, the government has provided more than $16 billion in capital funding for school boards — to support nearly 810 new schools and more than 780 additions and renovations.

There is no better investment than investing in Ontario's students. By investing in their success, we are investing in the future success of our province. These investments in education will continue to serve Ontario students, families and communities for generations to come.

The Ministry of Education provides one of the most important public services to Ontarians. The province's economic prosperity and competitive advantage starts with a system that is anchored in high-quality learning, beginning with the youngest of learners.

We must continue to move forward on the progress made over the past 14 years.

We must continue to give our students the very best education and prepare them well for a bright future.

And we must continue to work hard to build opportunity and prosperity for all Ontarians…

By doing so, we can ensure our beautiful province remains a great place to live, work and raise a family.

Ministry Interim Actual Expenditures ($M) 2016-17^{footnote 7[7]}

ISSN # 2369-1905 (online)