The evolution of professionalism - Centre for Policy Studies in ...

Grades 1 to 12 follow the program. Each teacher of the core subjects received an
APEF document including the EGLs, curriculum outcomes for that subject area,
and the corresponding outcomes at key stages (Grades 3, 6, 9, and 12). Details are
also included for teachers working at the various levels of schooling. The common
core curriculum guides include suggestions for classroom assessment strategies.
The assessment program measures the outcomes of the curriculum and, indirectly,
the acquisition of the EGLs.
How has inter-provincial cooperative curriculum development in Atlantic
Canada been received? In PEI, the teachers’ view is generally positive (personal
communication, PEITF 2005), as evidenced by the Workload Study conducted
by the University of PEI (UPEI), quoted below. According to one PEI education
offi cial, the provincial government (rather than the province’s three school boards)
takes most responsibility for curriculum matters in PEI. The Department aims
to allow for a certain amount of teacher initiative, while supporting them with
enough materials to adequately deliver the curriculum (personal communication,
I. Arsenault, Dept. of Ed. June 30, 2004). The PEITF is satisfi ed that curriculum is
developed on a collaborative basis on the island — the Department, the boards, the
PEITF and its members, and as well the UPEI are all involved.
In March of 2004, after meeting with her counterparts from the three other
Atlantic Provinces, PEI Minister of Education Mildred Dover proudly announced
the creation of the Council of Atlantic Ministers of Education and Training
(CAMET). In a press release, the Minister stated that the council “will promote
regional cooperation in all areas of education and training and will replace the
Atlantic Provinces Education Foundation (APEF)” (Gov. of PEI, Dept. of Ed.
2004d).
CAMET also intends to play a key role in establishing joint positions on national
education issues and on matters pertaining to federal government involvement and
funding. Ministers recognize that CAMET will provide them with an opportunity
to advise the Council of Atlantic Premiers (CAP) on education and training matters
of mutual interest. Ministers of Education and Training have identifi ed three major
areas of cooperation necessary for the support of learning in Atlantic Canada.
These include improving student achievement; program implementation support
to assist teachers with curriculum delivery and help students with their learning;
and, postsecondary education (Gov. of PEI, Dept. of Ed. 2004d). PEI Education has
joined other Atlantic jurisdictions in adopting the key terms of collective educational
improvement: cooperation, effi ciency, and added value. Provincial educational
policy in PEI has assumed a broader direction as it is now more specifi cally linked
with training; this new direction is in turn inevitably linked to concerns surrounding
employment readiness and federal funding opportunities.
Performance Indicators: National and International Testing Programs
As indicated in the introduction, PEI students regularly participate in national
testing programs, and the Department of Education uses the results of these tests
to evaluate academic performance. Government statements are often worded in
such a way as to reassure parents and the general population that island schooling
190 Section 4: The Atlantic Region