As many of you are aware, the Ministry has been involved for some time now in a wholesale revision to the English language arts curriculum for grades 8-12.

The Ministry ignored long-established protocols whereby the BCTF was involved in the selection of curriculum writing team members, and only after a draft curriculum was available was BCTF input requested.

BCTF members participated in a two-day review of the draft curriculum, which took place in October 2006. The input from this broad cross-section of BC teachers then went back to the curriculum writing team.

Teachers who attended the fall BCTELA conference had the opportunity to attend a workshop entitled “Peek Preview of the Draft English-Language Arts Curriculum,” which was conducted by Gail Hughes-Adams of the Ministry and Cass Crest, who had been involved in the last curriculum revision (1995).

Now, the Ministry is inviting input from the public. It is crucial that teachers familiarize themselves with this draft document and have their voices heard. The “window” for feedback is from February to May 2007. Check out the Ministry web site and this link: http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/drafts/

At the school and local level, teachers need to advocate for adequate time and resources to implement this new curriculum, which is slated for September 2007.

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