Age Appropriate Placement of Students in Canadian Schools

Since I worked over thirty years in Ontario schools, I have been asked by many parents regarding their child's grade level placement in Ontario schools.

It is an ideal situation when a school can divide all its children into groups of same age and teach them in the same classroom.  Placing students in the same classroom and learning with peers of similar   age group is the philosophy behind the policies of the Ontario Education. Therefore,  Ontarian schools have adopted the Age Appropriate Placement -  placing students in a grade level based on their age.  

For example, when a child is four years old, he/ she starts school in Ontario as a junior kindergarten student.

 There are two years of kindergarten in Ontario schools:

 Junior kindergarten  – 4 years old

Senior Kindergarten – 5 years old

When a student reaches six years old, this student will be placed in Grade one, and so on. 

Grade 1 – 6 years old

Grade 2 – 7 years old

Grade  3 – 8 years old

Grade  4 – 9 years old

Grade  5 – 10 years old

Grade  6 – 11 years old

Grade  7 – 12 years old

Grade  8 – 13 years old

By the time, a student finishes his/ her elementary school education, the student will be 14 years old. From them on, they will start secondary school education.

However, very often when an immigrant student first lands in Canada and arrives at an elementary school,  parents would request that a student be kept back at a lower grade because of the child’s lack of English skills. Ontario schools do not hold back students because of their language or academic skills, we believe in placing students according to their age because of social developmental reasons.

 We believe that students can learn from each other, and from interactions with their peers. Ontario schools believe that education for students is for the development of the whole being, not just academic achievement, therefore, a student’s  social development is equally important. 

Some parents are concerned that their children who have not done well academically, therefore feel strongly that they should be kept back. But  imagine when a child aged twelve years old  placed with children who are nine or ten years old? The two/ three years difference is not obvious when we are adults, but when you are a child, even one year can make a big difference in physical size. Placing a physically much bigger child with children who are a couple of years junior can be a problem. The older/ bigger child can be a bully or can become a target of taunting depending on the child's personality. 

The age appropriate placement practise could be workable if the weaker students can be supported and provided with extra support by the school. I have seen students becoming successful in school after resources have been offered and the school and parents work together to come up with an IEP - individual learning plan for the student.

R.T. Toronto