Canada's provincial curricula

1 Where it came from

Under the Constitution Act, 1867, education is a provincial responsibility, so each province and territory writes its curriculum and runs its tests, and the ministers coordinate through the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada. Recent changes include Ontario's 2023 Language curriculum, which followed the Ontario Human Rights Commission's Right to Read inquiry into how reading is taught, British Columbia's redesigned K–12 curriculum, and Alberta's new K–6 curriculum, phased in subject by subject from September 2022.

2 The big ideas

• Ontario: explicit early reading. The 2023 Grades 1–8 Language curriculum replaced the 2006 one. It calls for direct, explicit and systematic instruction, with Grades 1 to 3 focused on word reading and spelling, and defines phonics as the systematic teaching of letter–sound correspondences.
• Ontario: two years of kindergarten. Junior Kindergarten at about 4 and Senior Kindergarten at about 5, then Grade 1.
• British Columbia: know, do, understand. Each subject and grade sets content (what students know), curricular competencies (what they do) and big ideas (what they understand), with core competencies such as communication and thinking embedded in all of them.
• Alberta: a new K–6 curriculum. New English Language Arts and Literature and mathematics reached every K–6 class in 2023–24, with other subjects following.

3 What a lesson looks like

A Grade 2 class in Ontario, as an illustration. The literacy block starts with ten minutes of explicit phonics: the teacher introduces a vowel team, children blend and spell words with it on whiteboards, then read a short decodable text. Next comes a read-aloud of a picture book and talk about it, building vocabulary and comprehension. Math follows: adding two-digit numbers with base-ten blocks, then a short coding activity that the Ontario math curriculum includes. In British Columbia, the same morning might be framed around a big idea, such as "we can use patterns to describe the world", with children explaining their thinking as a curricular competency.

4 Reading and math

Reading has moved toward explicit, systematic phonics in several provinces; Ontario's 2023 curriculum is the clearest example. Math curricula cover broadly the same ground as US standards by grade, with each province's own order; Ontario's elementary math curriculum includes coding and financial literacy. French is taught in English-language schools in most provinces, and French immersion is widely available, which this page does not cover.

5 The adult's job

Teachers plan from their province's curriculum documents, all published online. A family moving between provinces should read the new province's documents for their child's grade, especially in reading and math, and ask the school about provincial tests. At home, daily reading, number games and help with any French homework support every province's curriculum.

6 How progress is checked

Each province runs its own tests. In Ontario, EQAO tests reading, writing and math in Grades 3 and 6 and math in Grade 9. British Columbia's Foundation Skills Assessment is given in Grades 4 and 7, and Alberta's Provincial Achievement Tests in Grades 6 and 9. Report cards and graduation requirements also differ by province.

7 Strengths and criticisms

8 What the research says

This page describes systems rather than testing them. The sources are the provinces' own: Ontario's curriculum site on the key changes in the 2023 Language curriculum, British Columbia's pages on its curriculum redesign and core competencies, and reporting on Alberta's phased K–6 rollout. EQAO's own materials describe its Grade 3, 6 and 9 tests. Evidence on explicit phonics is on the science of reading page.

9 How to try it

1. Read the province's documents. Search the provincial ministry's site for your child's grade in language and math.
2. Ask about tests. Find out which provincial tests your child will take, and when.
3. Back up explicit phonics in Grades 1 to 3. A few minutes of sounds, blending and spelling, then a book that uses them.
4. Line up kindergarten. In Ontario, JK and SK are the two years before Grade 1; our curriculum finder shows each province beside the US.

10 Using Peabody with it

• Numbers on PeabodyMath by grade in eight doors; grades match Canada's.
• Reading passagesLeveled passages with questions for fluency and comprehension practice.
• Fluency timerA words-per-minute check for a child reading aloud.
• Curriculum finderOntario's JK and SK, and every province's grades, beside other countries.

Peabody is free and has no ads. Pages on peabody.kids are for children; pages here are for the adults teaching them.

11 Programs that follow it

Programs and materials often named with this approach: The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1–8: Language (2023), The Kindergarten Program (Ontario), BC's redesigned K–12 curriculum, Alberta's new K–6 curriculum, EQAO assessments.