Kingston-area secondary schools to implement octomester, rather than quadmester

Certain eastern Ontario school boards are dealing with a major last-minute change in secondary school class scheduling as students and teachers prepare for 2020/21 classes amid the coronavirus pandemic.

According to Kingston-area boards, some non-designate school boards were instructed that plans for quadmesters for high school students were denied, with the ministry instructing boards to implement an octomester — where students learn one course a day over the period of about 20 days, before switching to a new schedule.

Non-designate boards will have all of their secondary students go back to class full-time, rather than having their high school students study online 50 per cent of the time, like designated boards.

Limestone District School Board (LDSB) and Algonquin, Lakeshore Catholic District School Board (ALCDSB) and Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board (HPEDSB) have confirmed they will not be implementing a quadmester model, where students took two classes at a time, but will be organizing secondary school students into schedules with one class at a time.

The Ministry of Education said this model is one of many that will be implemented in schools across the province come September.

“There are a variety of delivery options that designated and non-designated school boards may consider using to meet these requirements, including the octomester model where students take only one course for the entire day and it lasts for about 24 days,” a ministry spokesperson said.

According to a letter sent out to ALCDSB parents, secondary school students will stay in one classroom for the entire day, which “limits the number of contacts and touch points for students and staff throughout the day.”

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Students in the ALCDSB board will have staggered breaks from the classroom and eat lunch in their classroom as well.

HPEDSB said the decision to implement an octomester was “required by the Ministry of Education and (made) in accordance with public health directives.”

On Wednesday during a news conference, LDSB superintendent of education, Jessica Silver, said that the block semester model, or octomester, is used for summer school and has proven to be effective.

“Students only belong to one cohort and so students come in, and they belong to one class, and they basically spend their day in that class,” said Silver.

“It makes more sense in terms of safety because students are only belonging to one cohort.”

The octomester is expected to begin on the first day of classes on Sept. 8 in the Kingston area.