Ministry of Education
Student Success/Learning to 18
Strategic Policy Branch
Mowat Block, 4th Floor
900 Bay Street
Toronto ON M7A 1L2
Telephone: [416] 325-0951
Facsimile: [416] 325-2552
Ministère de l’Éducation
Direction des politiques stratégiques
en matière de réussite des élèves et d'apprentissage
jusqu'à l'âge de 18 ans
Édifice Mowat, 4e étage
900 rue Bay
Toronto ON M7A 1L2
Téléphone: [416] 325-0951
Télécopieur: [416] 325-2552
MEMORANDUM TO:
__________________________
Director of Education
XXXXXXXXX District School Board
FROM:
Richard Franz
Director
Student Success/Learning to 18 Strategic Policy Branch
DATE:
March 24, 2011
SUBJECT:
Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) 2010-11 Funding
Your board offers the Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) program, a specialized careerfocused program for students to customize their learning to suit their individual interests,
strengths and needs while meeting high standards and the requirements for the Ontario
Secondary School Diploma (OSSD). In 2010-11, approximately 28,000 students accessed over
1000 specialized programs in over 540 secondary schools in 18 sectors.
The Ministry’s overall goal is to ensure quality SHSM programs for all students. To support
this quality, the funding model for SHSMs reflects the required activities in schools and boards,
and addresses the following implementation costs:

students’ certification and training programs

tracking students’ completion of the SHSM components

equipment purchases and consumable expenditures

development of contextualized learning activities

promotion and marketing

teacher training and partnership development.
As part of the deliverables outlined in the memo sent to you on May 21st 2010, your board was
required to update student enrolment in your program(s) in the 2010-11 SHSM reports.
Adjustments to funding are being made in cases where there is a substantive difference between
the forecast and the actual student enrolment. Our staff have been working with your board
SHSM lead to confirm student numbers reported, and provided an opportunity for your lead to
adjust student numbers upon conversations with schools. Additionally, funding adjustments
were made to the partnership amounts per program.
The GSN 2010-11 amount for your board is $___ as per the memo sent to you on May 21st. The
revised 2010-11 transfer payment amount for your board is $__.
…/2
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A teleconference will be scheduled with SHSM board leads to provide details of the funding
model and adjustments that were made. If you require further information or assistance, please
contact Aldo Cianfrini at 416 325-2669, aldo.cianfrini@ontario.ca or Audrey Cartile at 416
326-0552, audrey.cartile@ontario.ca.
Thank you for your ongoing commitment to support success for all students. We look forward
to working with you on this important endeavour and to hearing about the SHSM results
achieved by your student.
Original signed by:
Richard Franz
c. Board Lead for SHSM
Student Success Leader
Regional Office Lead for SHSM