Just like the title says, the French Immersion program varies from school board to school board and can even look extremely different from school to school within the same school board. So if you have a child in the program, and they go to a public or Catholic school in Ontario, this article is for you.
1. Percentage of French Instruction
Did you know that the Ministry of Education requires the program to have a minimum of 3800 hours of French instruction by the end of grade 8? So what does that actually mean? It means that every single school board is allowed to determine what the program actually looks like, but more specifically, they are able to decide when a child must be registered in the program as a result. In fact, did you know that the program usually starts in grade 1, but there are some school boards that start as early as Junior Kindergarten? On the other hand, there are some that start in grade 2 or even grade 4.
Now being that the Ministry implements a minimum number of hours by the end of grade 8, this means that school boards can surpass that amount as well. As a result, when it comes to the percentage of French instruction, some school boards either deliver the program completely or partially in French from the very beginning. For example, some school boards require all students to take ALL their subjects in French for the first three years of the program, making it 100% in French right off the bat. However, some school boards have a program model that requires 90%, 85%, 75%, or only 50% of French language instruction from the time your child starts the program at the designated entry grade. That said, the general rule of thumb is that by grade 4, their French language instruction across all subjects drops to fifty percent.
2. Introduction to the English Curriculum
This brings me to another aspect of the program. Being that the percentage of French instruction varies, it is important to know that English as a subject can then be introduced at different times depending on the school board as a result. Now it has been common practice to introduce the Grade 1-8: Language Curriculum in grade 4 for students in the French Immersion program, but some school boards start as early as grade 1 whereas others focus on it in grades 2 or 3. That said, regardless of when it is introduced, it is important to know that your child is expected to achieve the curriculum expectations outlined in that document from the time their school board introduces the subject until the end of grade 8. For example, if it is introduced in grade 4, they have from grade 4 to 8 to learn what their non-French Immersion peers would have learned from grades 1-8.
3. Access to Qualified Teachers
Finally, this brings me to my last point about access to qualified French Immersion teachers. No matter what your child’s school board decides when it comes to the percentage of French instruction and the introduction to the English language curriculum, none of that really matters if they cannot hire qualified staff to deliver the French Immersion program. Unfortunately, across the province of Ontario, there is a grave shortage of French Immersion teachers, and more so after the pandemic. So what does this mean? It means that administrators often have to hire non French-speaking educators until they find someone qualified for the role, or they have to hire students still in Teacher’s College as emergency substitute teachers.
So in the end, not only is it important to understand what your child's program experience could look like even before registering them, but it is even more important to thoroughly understand what these factors could mean for their language learning journey while in the program.
In fact, if your child is already in the program and you need help determining if they are able to effectively use the French language, book a Post-Enrollment Assessment whereby our expert French as a Second Language Consultant (FSL Consultant) will conduct an onsite listening, speaking, reading, and writing assessment in the comfort of your home.
Alternatively, if your child is in the program but you want our FSL Consultant to analyze the learning skills, comments, and marks on their Progress Report card and two Provincial Report Cards, book a Report Card Review.
All our services are for the Durham, Halton, Peel, Toronto, and York regions.
If you reside outside of our service areas and would like support for your child, kindly email us at support@fairesens.ca.
Not ready to commit just yet? No problem! Consider reading French is a Skill, Not a Specialization for additional support.
Written by Shana Baptiste-Iseyemi
FSL Consultant and Former French Teacher
Mrs. Baptiste-Iseyemi has 10 years of experience supporting students from diverse learning and linguistic backgrounds. She has taught in both the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) and the York Region District School Board (YRDSB). She has also lived, studied, and worked in Grenoble, France.
She has a Honours Bachelor of Arts in French Studies with a minor in Anthropology from York University. She also has a Bachelor of Education with a focus on French as a Second Language and General Social Sciences from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) of the University of Toronto. Furthermore, she has additional qualifications in Guidance and Career Education and Co-operative Education from OISE. Lastly, she has a Career Strategist Certification with a focus on career development, career planning, and career management from the Career Professionals of Canada.