The State of FSL Education in Ontario

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The State of FSL Education in Ontario
French Second Language (FSL) education in Ontario is growing and strengthening.
975,935 children were enroled in Core French, Extended French or French Immersion programs in
publicly-funded, English-language school boards in Ontario in 2011-2012.
Successes
Enrolment in the French Immersion (FI) program over the past six years has enjoyed a 5.2 percent
average annual growth rate. The trend continues with an additional 6.1 percent boost in 2011-2012
over the previous year with a record 164,635 FI students and another 31,295 in Extended French.
Efforts to promote the cognitive, cultural, economic and employment benefits of a FSL education have
contributed to the rise in FI enrolment. Graduates of the FI and Extended French programs are now
parents and they are enroling their children and providing encouragement for their peers to do so.
School boards are adopting more inclusive practices towards allophone students wishing to become
proficient in both of Canada’s official languages. Statistical analysis shows a sharp increase in the
popularity of the FI program in school boards with a rising number of new immigrants such as the York
Region District School Board and the Peel District School Board.
In April 2013, the Ministry of Education introduced A Framework for French as a Second Language in
Ontario Schools, a document which presents the overarching principles of FSL education in the
province and can best be summarized by its vision statement: Students in English-language school
boards have the confidence and ability to use French effectively in their daily lives.
The release of the Framework document was followed by a Ministry call to action for all 60 English
school boards to submit three-year plans to support the identified provincial FSL goals. The new FSL
Curriculum will be launched in September 2014 with a revised focus on oral interaction, also intended
to support the provincial FSL goals.
Recent and Ongoing FSL Projects
Canadian Parents for French Ontario (CPF) has worked with the Ministry on two recent initiatives: the
FSL Homework Toolbox website and the ‘12 Reasons to Stay in French’ project which included
organizing and hosting the Bilingual Success Conference for students in Windsor, and developing and
distributing teaching materials to every secondary school in Ontario to support retention in FSL. CPF
has provided input on the new FSL Framework document and the new FSL curriculum. CPF also
participates in the FSL Provincial Working Group which is continuing to strengthen parent, educator
and community engagement in FSL. The ‘On Est Capable’ website and Projet à Québec are providing
support to our partner, the Ontario Modern Language Teachers’ Association (OMLTA).
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Registration is healthy for our annual French public-speaking contest held in May, Le Concours d’ art
oratoire, which we do with our partners, OMLTA and Glendon College, as part of the CPF national
contest.
Challenges
4,232 students graduated with a Grade 12 FI credit, representing only 36 percent of the original
Grade 1 cohort with the influx of middle and late immersion students. Very few Core French students
continue in Grades 10-12. Effective retention strategies are required to retain secondary students in
all FSL programs.
There has been little improvement in the number of school boards that impose barriers to access such
as lotteries and capping. Students are simply denied access or families face the unimaginable decision
of having each of their young children attend a different elementary school where the coveted FI spot
is still available, often without transportation provided.
The final year of the rollout of Full-Day Kindergarten is upon us and boards are struggling with
accommodation issues. The lack of clear support from the Ministry for starting immersion in
kindergarten and front-end loading the program at 100 percent French in the beginning years
threatens to leave us with weakened programming that is inconsistent with best practices in language
acquisition.
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ONTARIO EDUCATION GOALS
- improve student achievement
- close the achievement gap
- restore public confidence in public education
FSL FRAMEWORK GOALS
1. Increase student confidence, proficiency, and achievement in FSL.
2. Increase the percentage of students studying FSL until graduation.
3. Increase student, educator, parent, and community engagement in FSL.
OFFICIAL LANGUAGES IN EDUCATION GOALS (2009-13)
- provide every student with the opportunity to study FSL
Track and Improve:
- student performance-acquisition of measurable second-language skills
- provision of programs
- student participation-recruitment and retention to secondary graduation
- enriched school environment
- support of educational staff and research
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FACTS AND FIGURES - CURRENT STATE OF FSL IN 60 ENGLISH SCHOOL BOARDS
Student Performance:
Instructional time by French program: Tab 1
Provision of Programs:
55 boards offer French Immersion (FI)/ or Extended (Ext) French: Tab 5
46 boards provide transportation to elementary FI/Ext schools;
37 boards provide transportation to secondary FI/Ext programs;
37 boards start FI/Ext in Junior or Senior Kindergarten;
50 boards offer at least one secondary school with additional subjects taught in French;
? boards provide special education in FI/Ext equivalent to their English programs.
Student Participation:
Average daily enrolment in FSL and FFL: Tab 2
English only: 970, 502
Core French: 780,005
Extended French: 31,295
French Immersion: 164,635
French First Language: 96,680
Ontario enrolment by grade and type of French program: Tab 3
Estimate: 4,232 students graduated with a Grade 12 FI credit in 2011-2012 representing 36
percent of the original Grade 1 cohort in 2000-2001. The percentage includes the influx of
middle and late immersion students;
Estimate: 8,952 students graduated with a Grade 12 Core French credit in 2011-2012,
representing 7 percent of the original Grade 4 cohort in 2003-2004;
7 percent of all Grade 12 students in the English school boards take a Grade 12 FSL course
(Core, Extended or Immersion).
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National enrolment in French Immersion: Tab 4
Ontario is 9th out of the 11 provinces/territories that report.
Funding
$240,798,153: the total annual FSL grant given by province to school boards: Tab 6
Funding per minute of instruction: Tab 7
$8,156,300 total annual Official Languages in Education Program (OLEP) 2009-13 grant given by
province to school boards to support enriched school environment and educational staff: Tab 8
OLEP Action Plan 2009-13: Tab 9
Presented by Canadian Parents for French (Ontario):
Mary Cruden, President
Nicole Thibault, Vice-President
Betty Gormley, Executive Director
Source for all statistics: Enrolment figures as reported by schools in the Ontario School Information
System (OnSIS), October 2011-2012 and earlier years for comparison purposes, Ministry of Education.
UPDATED August 2013
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