The Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) has announced a change to its French immersion programming that will only allow students to enter the program at Grade 1.
The change was announced in a news release on Monday and will see the TVDSB do away with former entry points in Grade 7 and senior kindergarten.
“These changes were required to address a nationwide shortage of qualified French-language teachers and avoid limiting admission,” a release from TVDSB said.
“We heard from our communities that limiting enrolment was not a favourable strategy to managing the French-language staffing shortage.”
The change marks the conclusion of the first phase of an ongoing review into the school board’s French immersion program.
TVDSB said it will consider Phase 1 feedback from school communities during the second phase of its review, which may look into dual-tracking schools, meaning that a particular school could teach French immersion students while also providing instruction for non-French immersion students.
The second phase of the review may also explore including English kindergarten programming in French immersion schools, TVDSB said.
Comments