Section II: Policy

A. Locally Developed Courses of Study

1. Locally Developed Courses of Study are developed by school divisions and are approved by Saskatchewan Learning. Courses must contain objectives defined by the school division and be at a level of rigor consistent with provincially developed courses of study. Locally Developed Courses will only be approved as unspecified electives. Locally Developed Courses become the property of Saskatchewan Learning upon approval.

2. Courses developed elsewhere may be submitted for approval as a locally developed course. Courses developed by ministries of education in other Canadian provinces/territories may be used with minimal revision.

NOTE: Courses offered and assessed by instructors outside of Saskatchewan will be handled through the credit transfer policy (refer to the Credit Transfer Guide (updated annually): Saskatchewan Secondary Education). Only secondary school achievement may be evaluated towards Saskatchewan secondary level course equivalencies. This includes the first year of the Quebeccollèges d’enseignement général et professionel (General and Vocational College) (CEGEP). Post-secondary achievement should be forwarded to the university or institution of the student’s choice for possible recognition and/or acceptance.

3. As a first step, the school division must submit a Form D: Intent to Proceedwith the Development of a Locally Developed Course to the Regional Office for review. The Regional Office will advise school divisions of the appropriateness of the Locally Developed Course of Study they are planning. If the course outline is approved, the school division may proceed with course development.

4. Once the course is developed, the school division submits the course electronically to the Regional Office where it is reviewed, endorsed and forwarded to the Department for approval. After reviewing the course, the Executive Director may request that changes be made, or may approve the courses for up to five years, or may deny approval. The initial year of approval for a Locally Developed Course of Study is termed the “pilot year”.

5. If, during the pilot year or later in the five-year cycle, the school division sees a need for significant changes to the Locally Developed Course, it must make the necessary revisions to the description of the course of study, and resubmit the course for approval.

6. The Locally Developed Course of Study (along with Modified Courses of Study) will be entered immediately on the Monitoring Form: Locally Developed and Modified Courses of Study (Division Summary) to initiate the five-year cycle. If there are no significant changesmade to the course in the five-year period, it is sufficient to include the course on the Monitoring Form each year, indicating which year of the five-year cycle it is in.

7. If a Locally Developed Course is still required at the end of the five-year cycle, the school division is required to go through the approval process again. Renewal may occur prior to the end of the five-year cycle in consultation with the Regional Office.

Forms, Procedures and Timelines

• Form D: Intent to Proceed with a Locally Developed Course of Study is meant to guide teachers and school administrators through the initial step of submitting a Locally Developed Course electronically for approval by asking critical questions. The school division may wish to obtain, through the Regional Office or OMLO, samples of exemplary courses already approved in other school divisions. It may be possible to adapt or adopt a course to meet the needs of a similar group of students.
• Once approval for the Intent to Proceed has been granted, the school division proceeds with course development, then completesForm D-1: Specific Description of a Locally Developed Course of Study and submits it electronically to the Regional Office. The Regional Director or designate endorses Form D-1and forwards it to the Department for review. The Executive Director approves the course, approves the course with revisions or denies approval of the course.
• Once the course has been approved, the Department completes Form D-2:Locally Developed Course of Study and forwards it to the Registrar’s Office, which assigns a course code and enters the course approval on the Student Data System.
• Form D-2 is returned to the Executive Director with a copy to the Regional Office. The Regional Office forwards Form D-2 to the Director of Education. The Director of Education provides copies to each school implementing the approved course of study. The Executive Director attaches the registered Form D-2 to the original detailed description of the course. The original course submission with supporting documentation is retained by the Executive Director’s office.