Learn about curriculum changes

British Columbia (BC) has redesigned its school curriculum. Yukon schools started to use BC’s new curriculum starting with:

• Kindergarten to Grade 9 during the 2017–18 school year;
• Grade 10 students in 2018–19; and
• Grades 11 and 12 in 2019–20.

The new curriculum follows best practices from across Canada and around the world.

The main changes to the curriculum include:

• more hands-on learning opportunities for students;
• more personalized learning opportunities based on student interests;
• more focus on finance, career education and life skills;
• more Yukon content and Yukon resources to teach the curriculum; and
• Yukon First Nations ways of knowing, doing and being integrated into the curriculum in all subjects and grade levels.

How will teachers report on a child's learning to their parents?

Yukon schools introduced changes to the way they report a child's learning to their parents during the 2017–18 school year. These changes are part of the changes to the school curriculum. Schools were given the option to start implementing these changes during the 2017–19, 2018–19 and 2019–20 school year.

All schools began to report children's progress to parents in similar ways starting in the  2019–20 school year.

The main changes

• Providing more ongoing and useful feedback on a child’s learning to parents through:
  • email;
  • phone calls; and
  • face-to-face conversations.
• Providing examples of student work to show parents their child’s strengths and areas for improvement.
• Basing report card marks on the child’s most recent and consistent work.
• Including information on work habits and behaviour:
  • in informal updates to parents;
  • in comments on report cards; and
  • not in report card marks.
• Providing performance descriptions on report cards for Grades 4 to 9.

Each grade will continue to have performance standards. Students will continue to do assignments, projects, tests and exams to show their progress. They will still get marks and report cards and in high school. Students will still write exams.

In March 2017, we asked the public for feedback on these changes. Read what Yukoners had to say.

Learn more about report cards and assessments.

When to expect these changes

Changes to Yukon’s curriculum and the way schools report on student learning were integrated between 2017 and 2021.

2017–18

• Kindergarten to Grade 9 started using the new school curriculum in September 2017.
• The Yukon Foundation Skills Assessments for Grades 4 and 7 moved to the fall (previously written in winter).
• The new Grade 10 numeracy assessment became available in June 2018.
• Some schools started using the new requirements for reporting to parents on their child’s learning. Check with your school to learn more.

2018–19

• Grade 10 started using the new school curriculum in September 2018.
• Another group of schools started following the new requirements for reporting parents on their child’s learning. Check with your school to learn more.

2019–20

• Grades 11 and 12 started using the new school curriculum in September 2019.
• The Grade 10 literacy assessment became available in January 2020.
• All schools will have shifted to the new requirements for reporting to parents on their child’s learning. Check with your school to learn more.

2020–21

• The Grade 12 literacy assessment became available.

Learn more about what you need to graduate from high school.