Independent Study
Independent study is an opportunity for self-motivated students to pursue
individual interests and to broaden their range of credits in order to
increase opportunities for post-secondary education. According to Department
of Education policy, students may be granted one independent study credit
for each of Grades 11 and 12. In the pilot project students will use the
curriculum and teaching materials developed by the Department and will
have support from a teacher who qualified in the subject.
Locally-Developed Courses
The Department of Education allows for the local development of courses.
Such courses create a window of opportunity to realize the vision of education
for the Community-Operated Public School. They add richness and local
relevance to the curriculum offered by the public education system. In
order for a local program to be accepted as a pilot course, an application
must be submitted by February of the year before it will be offered. The
application must include information described in the Public School Programs
Manual. The course will be monitored and evaluated by the regional school
board and consultants from the Department of Education. After two years,
the pilot may become an approved, locally developed program.
Local courses take time to develop. For illustration purposes, the draft
curriculum plan for the Community-Operated Public School (below) assumes
the existence of locally developed programs. The costs of program-development
will be shared among partners, sought through fundraising, and balanced
with volunteer resources. A teacher in the school, using partner and volunteer
resources to share course delivery will facilitate locally-developed courses.
The following locally-developed courses are examples for the Margaree
Community-Operated Public School:
- "Margaree-Lake Ainslie Canadian Heritage River". A top
priority of the local heritage river management plan is education. The
study of the Margaree watershed is a valuable opportunity for community-based
education. The course will be multi-disciplinary, involving the sciences,
social studies, arts and culture, and technology.
- "Home and Business Economics". The local credit union is
a potential partner in supporting the development of a course that is
popular and effective. The Accounting Department of the University of
Cape Breton College (UCCB) is another possible partner.
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