TORONTO, September 27, 1996--With the release today of draft standards for teaching and learning Science and Technology, teachers and parents are one step closer to a clear understanding of what students in grades 1 to 9 should know about science and technology.

The Assessment of Science & Technology Achievement Project (ASAP) released its first Science and Technology Framework document for consultation at its steering committee at York University today.

ASAP is a collaborative project of York's Faculty of Education and 17 school boards in Southern Ontario -- representing at least half of the province's students -- that was set up in 1995 to develop standards for science and technology education (Grades 1 to 9) and to create concrete ways for teachers and Boards to determine if students are meeting those standards.

For the first time in many decades, Ontario teachers, students and their parents will have clear guidance concerning what children should know and be able to do in science and technology on a grade-by-grade basis, said Graham Orpwood, ASAP Project Director and Professor in York's Faculty of Education.

The document released today, entitled the Ontario Curriculum Framework, Science and Technology, Grades 1-9: A Consultative Draft, was developed by York University Faculty of Education staff, 17 Boards and more than 300 teachers working on their own time.

The development of this collaborative Framework demonstrates what can be done when teachers, boards and universities work together in partnership. The involvement of the school boards and teachers means that these standards will find their way into classrooms sooner, said Orpwood.

ASAP is inviting teachers, scientific organizations, equity groups, teachers' federations and others who are concerned about the quality of science and technology education to review the document, try it out in classrooms and provide feedback before it is finalized next summer. National and international experts in the field will also be invited to review the Framework. Toll-free lines and electronic communications have been set up to facilitate feedback. A provincial conference will be held next May.

The project has been supported both financially and in kind by the 17 participating School Boards and the University, with teachers contributing their time freely. The Ministry of Education and Training has now expressed interest in expanding the scope of the consultation province-wide and in using the results as the basis for a provincial Framework document.

For further information, contact:
Professor Graham Orpwood
(416)650-8001 or (416) 736-5269

Sine MacKinnon, Senior Advisor for Media Relations
(416) 736-2100, 22087
YU/043/96

Assessment of Science & Technology Achievement Project

(ASAP)

Backgrounder

The Assessment of Science and Technology Achievement Project (ASAP) is an ongoing collaborative project of York University Faculty of Education and the following Boards of Education:

Board of Education for the City of London
Dufferin-Peel Roman Catholic Separate School Board
The Durham Board of Education
The Halton Board of Education
Metropolitan Separate School Board
Metropolitan Toronto School Board

Board of Education for the City of York
Conseil des ecoles francaises de la communaute
urbaine de Toronto
East York Board of Education
Etobicoke Board of Education
North York Board of Education
Scarborough Board of Education
Toronto Board of Education

Ottawa Board of Education
Peel Board of Education
Simcoe County Board of Education
Waterloo County Board of Education
York Region Board of Education

The goals of the project are:

to develop standards for science and technology based on the outcomes of The Common Curriculum, Policies and Outcomes, Grades 1-9 (Ontario Ministry of Education and Training, 1995)
to develop instruments for assessing student achievement in relation to the standards

The project was set up in early 1995 and is designed to be completed by September 1997.