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General Information

CTS Key Features

The following represents a summary of key features incorporated into the CTS program.

Career-related Learning

CTS offers students learning opportunities in a wide range of career contexts. Students become familiar with the many careers related to each strand and are able to investigate various career options.

In CTS, the concept of career encompasses activities in one's personal life as well as those related to a job or occupation. Students develop competencies for:

daily living and personal interest

career planning and preparation

entry into the workplace and post-secondary programs.

Technology Integration
Technology outcomes are integrated, as appropriate, throughout all CTS strands and focus on the development of competencies required for daily living, entry-level work and lifelong learning.

CTS defines technology in its broadest sense to include all processes, tools and techniques that affect daily life. CTS provides opportunities for students to:

make decisions regarding which procedures best suit the task at hand

select and use available tools and resources in an appropriate manner

assess and manage the impact of technology on self, others and the environment.

Basic Competencies
Critical skills for daily living and employability are incorporated into each CTS strand and course through a set of "basic competencies." Sequenced around four developmental stages, the basic competencies establish standards of performance with respect to:

managing learning

managing resources

problem solving and innovation

communicating effectively

working with others

demonstrating responsibility.

One-credit Course Structure
The 1-credit course curriculum structure of CTS allows schools to design programs that enable students to:

select relevant courses and strands

progress at rates that are personally challenging

build on successes and investigate new options.

Schools determine which strands/courses to make available to students and the extent to which students are involved in planning their own CTS programs.

Clearly Defined Results
CTS courses are competency based, not time based. The CTS curriculum defines:

what students must know and be able to do: the knowledge, skills and attitudes to be developed—curriculum standards

the criteria and conditions for assessing student performance—assessment standards.

Broad-based Resource Support
CTS supports the development of resource-based classrooms where a variety of appropriate, up-to-date print and nonprint resources are available. This approach enables students to:

interact with a wide range of information sources

assess and use information sources appropriately

take an active role in managing their own learning.

CTS identifies learning resources in print, software, video and CDROM formats, as well as other sources of information available in the community and through the Internet.

Expanded Delivery Options
CTS supports a variety of learning opportunities and delivery strategies, using technology and other resources available in the school and community. Learning can take place on- and off-campus, in classrooms, labs, the workplace or through distance learning.

CTS recognizes the importance of community support and involvement in the delivery of career-related education programs and provides flexibility to plan program delivery in ways that meet local needs.

Enhanced Connections
CTS links theory and practice in real contexts. Students gain confidence and motivation as they learn to relate, extend and apply abstract learning in a variety of real-life and work-related situations.

The 1-credit course structure of CTS facilitates making connections among CTS strands and with core and optional subjects. Connections identified throughout the CTS curriculum help students transfer their learning effectively and prepare for future career options.

Continuity in Learning CTS enables students to build on the competencies they have already achieved, through recognition of prior learning from formal schooling and community/personal initiatives. There are no distinct boundaries between junior and senior high school, and numerous credentialling and articulation agreements at the intermediate and advanced levels provide effective bridging to the workplace or related post-secondary programs. This approach enables students to experience smooth transitions throughout their school careers.

Return to CTS General Information page.

Contacts: Send comments to our curriculum contact.

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