Ontario elementary and high schools will return in the fall with notable changes as the provincial government invests $60 million to equip teachers with modernized classroom resources through a new provincewide digital learning platform announced on Monday.
New digital platform for all school boards
Students will have access to interactive learning tools, while educators will be able to identify learning gaps earlier, according to the province. The platform, called Edwin, is provided by Nelson Education Ltd. and covers grades 1-12 in both English and French. It was selected through a competitive procurement process led by Supply Ontario.
“By giving teachers access to high-quality, curriculum-aligned resources, we are helping ensure students are learning the Ontario curriculum in a more consistent way across all 72 school boards,” Education Minister Paul Calandra said in a statement. “Teachers will have better information about student progress, helping them identify challenges earlier and respond more quickly to student needs. At the same time, school boards and the province will have a clearer picture of how students are performing across Ontario, helping identify trends to ensure resources and supports are directed where they are needed most.”
Ready-made lesson plans and training
As of September, all teachers will have access to Edwin, which is already used by some Ontario school boards. “Teachers will be able to draw from a variety of materials organized by subject and grade, allowing them to find ready-made lesson plans or build their own using interactive tools, activities, videos and presentations,” said the province in a news release. Nelson Education’s Edwin implementation team will work with school boards to provide training materials and online demonstration sessions on how to use and access the resources. Teachers can also continue to use supplementary educational materials approved by their board.
“Great things happen when students, educators and high-quality resources come together,” said Brendan Browne, CEO of the Toronto Catholic District School Board, in a statement. “Platforms like this help bring learning to life, giving students new ways to engage in their classrooms, while supporting educators in meeting the needs of every learner. Ultimately, it’s about creating the conditions for every student to succeed.”
Changes to assessment standards
The province is also releasing new mandatory changes to assessment standards for grades 9-12 to “bring greater consistency to grading and provide clearer guidelines for calculating final marks across subjects and grades,” said the Education Ministry’s release. These changes aim to standardize grading practices across all school boards.
