The following article is from this week's Bridgewater Bulletin. The Bridgewater Bulletin is published every Wednesday. Their website is http://www.lighthouse.ns.ca/. Their e-mail address is mail@lighthouse.ns.ca. You should indicate Letter to the Editor in the subject Line. ******************* Bridgewater Bulletin June 30, 1999 Director defends education department's decision to cut Grade 10 honours courses Theresa Hawkesworth Lighthouse staff BRIDGEWATER - Local school board members remain concerned about the education department's decision to eliminate Grade 10 honours programs. But the department is holding its ground. The director of English program services, Bob LeBlanc defended the decision at the Southwest Regional School Board's June 22 meeting in Barrington saying it came after years of discussion and consultation about the role of advanced courses in the public school system. Under the new policy, students in Nova Scotia will engage in a common educational experience until after Grade 10, considered a foundation year. Education department concerns ranged from cost and class sizes to equity of opportunity. Mr. LeBlanc compared the number of students enrolled in regular Grade 10 courses to those in Park View's pre-International Baccalaureate courses and found wide variations. "It doesn't appear from those numbers that non-IB students get the same class size benefits and that was one of our concerns," he said. "(And) we're not sure that all those students who have the ability, who have the potential, who have interest are identified and supported." The department intends to expand the number of advanced courses offered in Grades 11 and 12 such as design, oceans and multimedia and is about to release a document called Challenge for Excellence, Focused on implementing learning and teaching strategies for enrichment in courses so students will be challenged throughout the public school system, it will help ensure students are well prepared in the foundation years, he said. "We feel these courses, supported by school-wide enrichment models, will give greater opportunity for all students to achieve their potential," said Mr. LeBlanc. While there are other Grade 10 honours programs in the county, the decision is expected to have the most impact at Park View where pre-IB courses will no longer be offered. While only a handful of students graduate from the diploma program every year, a third of the school's students take at least one IB or pre-IB course. The school's IB co-ordinator has said that pre-IB courses offer students preparation necessary to make a successful transition to IB. He predicts test scores will drop dramatically and fewer students will take the program because of the amount of work that would be required at the Grade 11 level. Local school board members agree, saying the decision threatens the success of the program. "The new model is inclusive to the extent that all students will be equally unprepared for the IB program and I think that's a real shame in a school where this has been a very successful program for 18 years," said board member Susan Joudrey. "I'm really concerned that we would be, in Nova Scotia, the only place in the world that doesn't offer a Grade 10 preparatory program for IB. We're setting our students up for failure." Board members David Pottie, Sara Whynot, Marg Forbes and Wanda Broome echoed those concerns. "It's a truism that the earlier you catch people the better," said Ms Broome. "Sometimes the opportunity to be excellent has to come early. "The pendulum for one size fits all is swinging too far to the other side," added Ms Whynot. But Mr. LeBlanc said the public school program adequately prepares students for advanced courses. Many students across the province successfully complete advanced courses without a preparatory program. "IB aren't necessarily the most innovative or challenging courses offered in this province," he said. "The IB program is one that I think that will be reviewed with appropriate staff on a regular basis to ensure that the framework is supportive of the public school program." While Mr. LeBlanc gave no indication that the department is considering allowing Grade 10 honours programs to continue, there are efforts under way to have the decision reversed. The regional school board, Nova Scotia School Boards Association and a group of Park View students have written letters asking the education minister to change the policy.