TDSB to delay course changes at arts schools for a year

With an eye to equity and diversity, special interest high schools in Toronto have been expecting curriculum changes and a new admission-by-lottery system.

Although it appears the admission changes — by lottery — will go into effect, the TDSB has announced that program changes to the grades 9 and 10 curriculum planned for its arts special interest schools will be delayed until the 2023/24 school year.

The TDSB’s adoption of a lottery system for admissions is creating a sense of disconnect in some parent and student groups.

This year, a new TDSB policy was introduced that intends to remove barriers to entry to its nearly 40 specialized schools and programs, including 16 special interest schools in math, science, technology, cyber arts, sports and arts.

The new selection system removed some of the merit-based criteria needed to qualify for the lottery and added priority placement for students who self-identify as one of the underserved and under-represented communities in TDSB’s centralized schools.

Changes in admission mean grades 9 and 10 courses need tinkering — altered from a focused learning model to a more general education model, in order to get every student on the same page.

Recommended video

Arts schools — such as Etobicoke School of The Arts or Rosedale School of the Arts  —  were first in line to rewrite curriculum, but as that has been set aside for a year, the use of the lottery system for admission leaves many questions. 

Parent, teacher and student groups want to know how incoming students, some of whom will not have specific skills required by their course — in instrumental music, for example — will be accommodated. They want to know what aids teachers will receive to make this happen for new students.

And parent groups want to see data that shows the lottery system and any proposed curriculum changes are things that will work toward goals of equity.

“Getting rid of auditions and majors and imposing lotteries won’t make these schools more diverse, but they will make them mediocre,” said University of Toronto professor Judith Taylor, who has been teaching on equity issues for 20 years and is a mother to a high school student.

TDSB spokesperson Ryan Bird said in a statement Monday that many specialty schools are already aligned with the new policy, while some arts-focused schools may require more time to modify programs, “to better align with the demand in some of the areas of focus that students are applying for.”

As some schools will benefit from additional time to review their model, they now have an extra year to make changes.