Pathways is a way to describe how educators deliver educational programs to meet the individual strengths and needs of all students. A student must have an exceptionality to access Pathway 2, 3, 4, or 5. Programming decisions are made by the student’s program planning team.
Pathway 1 refers to the provincial curriculum for a course or subject. The majority of students in the province follow Pathway 1 for most subject areas.
Pathway 2 follows the provincial curriculum, but the student receives accommodations or supports to meet the required outcomes for each course/subject. The curriculum may be presented and/or evaluated in a slightly different manner for students receiving Pathway 2.
Pathway 3 refers to modifying the provincial curriculum. The general intent of the course remains the same, but some outcomes are:
Parents and students should clearly understand the implications of Pathway 3 modifications on graduation and post secondary options.
Pathway 4 refers to an individualized alternate course or program. The intent of an academic/non-academic alternate course or program is to develop specific skills and/or knowledge.
Parents and students should clearly understand the implications of Pathway 4 courses on graduation and post secondary options.
Pathway 5 refers to a program which does not follow the provincial curriculum. The main focus of the Pathway 5 Functional Curriculum is the development of daily living skills such as personal care, social skills, money identification and management, communication skills, food preparation, recreation and leisure.
Yes. For example, a child may need Pathway 3 supports in Mathematics, Pathway 1 in Social Studies, Pathway 2 supports in Language Arts and Physical Education, and Pathway 4 programming in organizational skills.
Yes. Students can get support in an area of need, and if that need changes, they may need programming in a different Pathway.
A child who receives Pathway 2 supports should be able to complete the provincial curriculum. A child on a modified curriculum (Pathway 3), where outcomes have been changed or removed, may have difficulty returning to the provincial curriculum. This is especially true for courses where this year’s learning depends upon success with last year’s learning (e.g. Math). However, even in these cases, it is sometimes possible for a child to return to the provincial curriculum with additional supports. In other areas, it may be easier to return to the provincial curriculum (e.g., Social Studies, Health). The long-term implications of any Pathway decisions depend on the nature of your child’s needs and should be closely monitored by the program planning team.
You can ask your child’s teacher(s) who may direct you to others. You can also bring questions to program planning meetings.
Each member of the program planning team will make every effort to ensure the supports s/he agreed to implement, are put in place. In addition to classroom teachers personnel hired by the school system may include speech/language pathologists, educational psychologists, special education teachers, school counsellors, itinerant teachers for the deaf and hard of hearing, and itinerant teachers for the blind and visually impaired. These services are spread across the district. The service depends upon the needs of your child, the other children in the district, and the availability of personnel.