Sexual Health Education in Canada
A Summary of the Provinces and Territories
Working Group on Sexual Health January 2006
Alberta
Health and Life Skills Kindergarten to Grade 9 (2002)
In acknowledgement of the comprehensive school health model, Alberta Education provides its elementary and middle year students with Health and Life Skills. The aim of this part of the core curriculum is “to enable students to make well-informed, healthy choices and to develop behaviors that contribute to the well-being of self and others” (p. 1).
To achieve this aim, Alberta Education has delineated general and specific outcomes. Three general outcomes serve as the foundation for the curriculum, Wellness Choices, Relationship Choices, and Life Learning Choices. Given that sexual health education is the primary focus of this report, Wellness and Relationship Choices appear to be the most pertinent. These general outcomes are further categorized into specific outcomes. For instance, Wellness Choices is divided into Personal Health, and Safety and Responsibility; and the specific outcomes for the Relationship Choices outcome are separated into Understanding and Expressing Feelings, and Interactions.
The specific outcomes that explicitly relate to human sexuality are offered to students from Grades 4-9. Alberta Education makes these specific outcomes easily recognizable in the program of study as the font is boldfaced and italicized; this format is replicated in the chart. However, it must be noted that the specific outcomes which are not boldfaced or italicized are suggested to be associated with the instruction of Sexual Health Education, as well.
The implementation guide teachers are provided to assist with the delivery of this curriculum notes that the combined time allotment for Health and Physical Education instruction for Grades 1-6 is 150 minutes per week. For Grades 7-9, the amount of instruction time is 150 hours over the course of 3 years. Should parents disapprove of the content that is being offered in Health and Life Skills, they retain the right to exempt their child from instruction on identified matters. In such cases, schools must provide “alternative learning experiences” for these students; whether these learning experiences relate to the sensitive subject is unknown.
Career and Life Management (CALM) (2002)
Alberta Education claims that CALM is a component of the curriculum that satisfies the comprehensive school health education program in the province. The aim of this senior high school course “is to enable students to make well-informed, considered decisions and choices in all aspects of their lives and to develop behaviors and attitudes that contribute to the well-being and respect of self and others, now and in the future” (p.1).
To achieve this aim, the course is designed to “emphasize knowledge, attitudes, behaviours, competencies and values and provides students with opportunities to enhance their capacities in problem solving, critical thinking and reflection” (p.1). These goals are an extension of the Health and Life Skills program. In fact, the general outcomes that pertained to Sexual Health Education in the Kindergarten to Grade 9 curriculum, Wellness Choices and Relationship Choices are condensed into one general outcome in CALM, Personal Choices. Of course, this general outcome also has specific outcomes; however, the CALM curriculum is different in that each specific outcome is supported by bulleted examples. These examples do not form part of the required course, but serve as an illustration for the classroom teacher to assist in course development. Despite the fact that bulleted examples are not mandatory, the specific outcomes must be addressed.
Two specific outcomes in the CALM program of study are italicized and boldfaced, signifying as it does in the Health and Life Skills curriculum, the content relates to human sexuality. These specific outcomes must be implemented into classroom instruction; however, parents can have their child exempted from such teachings. The school must provide these students, who have been excused from the classroom, at the request of their parents, with “alternative learning experiences” (p. 4). In order to receive the 3-credits and satisfy graduation requirements, these students must complete the remainder of the course. It must be noted that such exemption would not apply to students who satisfy the age of majority or live independently.
British Columbia
Personal Planning K-7—Revised November 24, 1999.
Every school board must offer its students from Kindergarten to Grade 3 an educational program that meets the learning outcomes delineated in the Personal Planning program guide. The aim of this section of the curriculum is to “enable students to become thoughtful, caring individuals who plan and reflect, make informed choices, and take responsibility for their own personal and career development.”
To achieve this aim, learning outcomes have been identified for this component of the curriculum, clustered under the following organizers: The Planning Process, Personal Development, and Career Development. In order to examine curricular content that is related to sexual health education, The Personal Development organizer is the most relevant. This specific curriculum organizer is subdivided into the following topical areas: Healthy Living, Mental Well-Being, Family Life Education, Child Abuse Prevention, Substance Abuse Prevention, and Safety and Injury Prevention. The two pertinent sub-organizers related to sexual health educational content are Family Life Education and Child Abuse Prevention.
School boards are advised that each student in Kindergarten is to receive an amount of instructional time no less than 450 hours per year. In light of this recommended total number of hours students spend in the classroom, teachers are allowed to determine how much time is designated for the instruction of the core curricular areas, including Personal Planning. In Grades 1-7, teachers are expected to provide a minimum of 25 hours and 45 minutes of instruction for each week of the school calendar. In Grades 1-3, teachers are given the latitude to determine how much time is dedicated to Personal Planning. However, the time allotment given to this part of the curriculum for students in Grades 4 to 7 is specified to 5% of total instruction.
Teachers are advised that the Personal Development component of the Personal Planning curriculum may be perceived as sensitive by students and/or their parents.[*] Consequently, it is suggested that teachers inform students and parents of the possible sensitive nature of certain topics in a newsletter. In the event parents prefer to have their children excused from the classroom during the instruction of these specified topics, teachers must be prepared to explore alternative delivery arrangements with the parents.
Grades 8 – 9 Health and Career Education
Beginning in the 2006/2007 school year, students’ educational program will include Health and Career Education. The aim of these courses is “to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that will assist them in making informed decisions related to their health, their education, and their future careers” (p.8). The two overarching curriculum organizers are Education and Careers, and Health. In the Health component, “it is expected that students will be able to understand the importance of making informed decisions about their lifelong health” (p.10). The sub-organizers used to delineate the Health section are Healthy Living, Healthy Relationships, Safety and Injury Prevention, Substance Misuse Prevention. Given the focus of this report, the sub-organizers that have the most relevance to Sexual Health Education are Healthy Living and Healthy Relationships.
Each school district is expected to provide students in Grades 8 and 9 with 25 hours and 45 minutes of instruction time per week. In each of these grades, a minimum of 5% of this total instructional time is recommended for the study of Health and Career Education. The Health component of the Grade 8 program of study accounts approximately for 38 hours of instruction; whereas in Grade 9, it is suggested that students receive 36 hours of instruction in Health. Indeed, teachers are afforded the opportunity to adjust instructional time whenever necessary. In fact, educators are allowed “to plan their programs to meet the particular requirements of their students and to respond to local needs” (p.12).
In response to parents/guardians, who are uncomfortable with the instruction of certain topics in the program of study, teachers must follow a policy which states that “students will complete the related learning outcomes and demonstrate their knowledge of the health topics they have chosen to learn in an alternative manner.”
Planning 10
In September 2004, Planning 10 replaced Career and Personal Planning Grades 10-12. The aim of this course “is to enable students to develop the skills they need to become self-directed individuals who set goals, make thoughtful decisions, and take responsibility for pursuing their goals throughout life” (p.9). This course is given a 4-credit designation and must be completed successfully by students, who graduate in the province of British Columbia, having earned a minimum of 80-credits.
Planning 10 is divided into four curriculum organizers: Graduation Program, Education and Careers, Health, and Finances. The Health component encapsulates the following sub-organizers: Healthy Living, Health Information, Healthy Relationships, and Health Decisions. For the purposes of examining Sexual Health Education, attention is directed at the latter two sub-organizers. Given that Career and Personal Planning 11 and 12 have been replaced with Planning 10, the previous sub-organizers, Healthy Living and Family Life, found under Personal Development have been included into Planning 10 (Pierre Gilbert, personal communication, Dec. 21, 2005).
A student, who fulfills the expectations of this new course, which is equivalent to 120 hours of instructional time, will receive approximately 36 hours of Health instruction. The amount of instructional time allotted for health education must be taken into consideration in light of the total amount of instruction at the Grade 10 level: a minimum of 25 hours and 45 minutes per week. Students’ parents, who wish that their child not take part during the teaching of “sensitive” topics, will be expected to satisfy the learner outcomes following adapted instruction.
New Brunswick
Health Education Kindergarten – Grade 5 (2001)
TheNew Brunswick vision for Health Education is that “Students will leave public education both understanding and practicing wellness, by making wise lifestyle choices which contribute to both a healthy, caring individual and to the community.” The program of study states that the curriculum contributes to enhancing health among the student body by respecting the Comprehensive School Health (CSH) model. CSH recognizes health to be a shared responsibility among individuals, families, schools, and communities (p. 2). Within the school context, it is expressed by way of the general outcomes that students will “acquire knowledge, skill development, and the development of attitudes and behaviors that are supported by activities and services within the school and their communities.” (p. 2). To ensure that the CSH model is made explicit to teachers, its three components Environment, Instruction, and Services and Support are related individually to the four curricular standsProtecting Yourself, Your Family and Your Community; Personal Wellness, Physical Growth and Development; and Use, Misuse and Abuse of Material. The strands of interest from the Health curriculum that pertain to Sexual Health Education are Protecting Yourself, Your Family and Your Community; and Growth and Development. In Grade 5 an additional strand was identified to relate to Sexual Health Education, Misuse and Abuse of Material.
Health Education, Grade 6-8 (2005)
In the recent revised Grade 6-8 Health Education curriculum, the rationale and the CSH model are maintained from the Kindergarten –Grade 5 Health program of study. A statement referring to the province’s beliefs of and/or approach to Sexual Health Education gives the distinct impression that Sexual Health Education becomes a part of the curriculum in Grade 6 since the following statement is not noted in earlier grades. This “Abstinence Statement,” take from the curriculum document notes:
The Growth and Development strand of the New Brunswick Health Education Curriculum emphasizes that abstinence from all sexual activity that involves risk is the best and only truly safe health choice for adolescents. Students who do decide to become sexually active now or in the future need information about the effective use of protection against pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Classes do not encourage students to become sexually active nor do they include teaching about sexual techniques (p. 3)
This statement is repeated in the programs of study for Grades 7 and 8 and is paraphrased in a sample letter to parents explaining the Health curriculum. In order for students to take part in the Growth and Development strand, parents must give their permission to the instructing teacher. The sample letter, however, does not explain what students will receive in lieu of the identified strand. Therefore, in the event parents decide that their child will not take part, they are not made aware of the alternative instruction that will be made available. Subsequent to a review of the curriculum, the Sexual Health component of the curriculum may extend beyond the Growth and Development stand, as is illustrated by the chart, yet this is not articulated in the newsletter.
Newfoundland and Labrador
The Health Education curriculum documents for this province could not be obtained.
Nova Scotia
Physical and Health Education Curriculum, Primary- Grade 12 (1998)
In the province of Nova Scotia, Physical Education and Health Education are combined to satisfy a vision,
Active, healthy living is shaped by the vision of learners experiencing purposeful physicalactivity and developing knowledge of, skill for, and attitudes towards the health benefits of a physically active lifestyle.
The aim of the this combined curriculum is to “focus on students’ needs, interests, and aptitudes, and help students to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to become active healthy, lifelong learners (p. 4).
The program of study from Primary to Grade 12 is organized into key educational stages. These stages are described in terms of cumulative learning outcomes that students are expected to know and demonstrate upon completion of Grades 3, 6, 9, and 12.
The Health Education segment of the curriculum is based upon “essential graduation learnings,” which are cross-curricular statements describing the knowledge, skills, and attitudes expected of all students who graduate from high school. Conversely, curriculum outcomes are subject-specific describing what students are to achieve at the end of a particular stage/grade. For the purposes of document, the curriculum outcomes pertaining to Health Education are examined. This part of the curriculum is divided into four stands what are also organized into general and specific outcomes. The chart outlines the outcomes for the four stands of the Health curriculum: The Body, Growth and Development; Strategies for Healthy Living; Values and Practices for Healthy Living; Strategies for Positive Personal Development and Healthy Relationships.
The Northwest Territories
The Northwest TerritoriesSchool Health Program; Kindergarten-Grade 9 (1991)
The School Health Program in the Northwest Territories is predicated on the belief that students will make healthy choices when they have support, information, and skills. Hence, by providing students with information and developing their skills, it is suggested that teachers can influence students’ beliefs and attitudes, and thereby impact behavior (p.4).
This vision for Health Education serves to guide the design of seven units that frame the School Health Program. The curricular units related to Sexual Health Education are Growth and Development, Family Life, and Mental and Emotional Well-Being. These three units do not consistently, at each grade level, pertain to sexual health, and as a result the chart only identifies the relevant units. Each unit is outlined by themes, concepts, and objectives. A particular theme may have multiple concepts (italics), which are articulated statements made at the outset of each lesson. The accompanying objectives ensure that students move from a basic understanding to a more advanced understanding of the concept (p.18).
The recommended minimum time allocation for Health Education is 60 hours per year for Grades 1-9. This total amount of time is further divided into unit instruction time per grade. The central unit, Mental and Emotional Well-Being, from Grades 1-9 is taught for approximately 10 hours. The Growth and Development unit accounts for 10 hours of classroom teaching in Grades 1-6 and 8 hours for Grades 7-9. Lastly, Family Life is taught for 10 hours from Grades 1- 6 and is increased to 12 hours of instruction for Grades 7-9.