PPM'ing

The Ministry of Education recently released two program / policy memoranda on the public portion of its website. These get posted quietly and often don't merit any particular news release, although some do. For example, PPM150 was all about healthy foods in schools and that garnered a requisite number of media hits as awareness of it spread across Ontario. Several years ago, the PPM on Quality Daily Physical Activity (QDPA) was released, and years later I sometimes wonder what happened to this particular memo.
Anyway.
Last week, PPM 151 was released, along with PPM 152. The first touches on provincial priorities for professional development days-- the province mandates two of these days throughout the school year be dedicated to provincial priorities. These days, provincial priorities are improving achievement levels on provincial assessments (read: upping EQAO scores) and integrating full-day learning. From the memo:

The criteria that determine the scope of the professional activities for the two PA days required under paragraph 1 of subsection 2(3.1) of Regulation 304 are as follows

• The professional activities are devoted to the professional learning of teachers with respect to improving student achievement and student success
• The professional activities are devoted to the professional learning of teachers with respect to closing the gaps in student achievement.

The following are the possible topics for professional activities relating to improving student achievement and student success:

• early learning
• performing assessments and evaluations for and of learning
• facilitating parental and community engagement
• using data analysis to inform instruction
• developing and implementing board and school improvement plans
• creating an equitable and inclusive classroom climate that is conducive to learning
• developing student and classroom learning profiles
• facilitating transitions for students who are entering school, changing grades or schools, or leaving school
• promoting instructional leadership
• developing skills for teacher inquiry and reflective practice

The following are the possible topics for professional activities relating to closing the gaps in student achievement:

• developing Individual Education Plans (IEPs)
• implementing activities related to assistive technologies, differentiated instruction, Universal Design for Learning, and professional learning technologies
• facilitating parental involvement in Identification, Placement, and Review Committees established under Part II of Ontario Regulation 181/98, "Identification and Placement of Exceptional Pupils", made under the Education Act, and in the development of IEPs
• using differentiated instructional and assessment strategies and resources that are responsive to students' learning needs and that reflect Ontario's diverse student population
• developing and implementing strategies to close the gaps in mathematical literacy
• developing and implementing strategies to close the gaps in literacy
• developing and implementing strategies to improve boys' literacy
• developing and implementing early and ongoing instructional interventions
• using strategies to support English language learners and students in Actualisation linguistique en français and Perfectionnement du français
• integrating the use of manipulative aids and technology to support a range of learning styles

I found this PPM interesting since this is not the first school year these two provincial-priority PD days have been on the calendar. Board were complying with the requirement, getting the info from other means than a publicly posted memo. It leaves part of me wondering why this memo is being posted now.
The other is particularly interesting, as it lays out standards for school boards to meet as they negotiate with an employ principals and vice-principals. Those with longer memories would remember these administrators used to be members of their respective teachers' federations until the Harris-era reforms of the mid-1990s that removed them from these bargaining units (the right decision in this writer's humble opinion). Principal's associations have emerged from the landscape at the board level, and the Ontario Principals' Council has also filled a void. PPM 152 simply codifies how boards are to set the terms of employment with their respective administrator groups. Why it's taken 12 years to do this is also a mystery.