Putting the pieces together: Toward a coherent transition system for Canada's labour force

Articulation in Ontario: overview and background information

Articulation is a formal process to link secondary and college programs in a manner that facilitates student progress and provides career and post-secondary goals for students at the secondary school level. Thus it enhances opportunities for success. All secondary school programs can be articulated with appropriate college programs.

Concerns about student attrition, a decline in student interest in science and technology, and the need for a highly skilled labour force to maintain the health of Ontario's economy are creating an urgent need for all levels of education to collaborate in the development of strategies to address these issues. (Blueprint for School-College Linkage, Ontario Ministry of Education and Ministry of Colleges and Universities)

Articulation addresses the following specific issues:

relevance of curriculum as viewed by students in meeting their specific career needs;
student retention in secondary school;
understanding of post-secondary programs; and
student retention in post-secondary school.

The purposes of articulation are:

to coordinate existing and new secondary and post-secondary curricula to make education more responsive to students' and employers' needs; and
to increase student awareness of career options and college programs.

The benefits of articulation for students are:

to provide a more guided focus for students as they proceed through secondary school;
to improve focus for general-level students on post-secondary opportunities;
to ensure coverage of prerequisite content for related college programs; and
to help students gain access to chosen career paths.

The benefits of articulation for staff are:

to allow for professional development opportunities through curriculum exchange;
to provide for staff exchanges and joint endeavors in professional development;
to enable teachers to motivate students and direct them toward better career choices by refining their curricula;
to provide an effective continuum of courses from one level to the next; and
to examine teaching and evaluation methods