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    Culture, Tourism and the Centre for Education Statistics

    Summary Elementary and Secondary School Indicators for Canada, the Provinces and Territories, 2006/2007 to 2010/2011

    Definitions

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    The collection universe

    School Board encompasses district school boards, school authorities and/or their equivalent depending on the jurisdiction.

    School District refers to all school boards and/or school districts.

    Public Schools are publicly funded elementary and secondary schools that are operated by school boards or the province or territory. They include all regular publicly funded schools (graded and ungraded), provincial reformatory or custodial schools and others that are recognized and funded by the province or territory.

    Private Schools encompass both elementary and secondary schools that, whether church affiliated, or non-sectarian, are operated, managed and administered by private individuals and/or groups (e.g. a Church, a Trade Union or a business enterprise, foreign or international agency), or its Governing Board consists mostly of members not selected by a public agency.

    The extent to which an institution receives its funding from public or private sources does not determine the classification status of the institution between public and private.

    Privately managed schools may be subject to some regulation or control by public authorities, but these institutions are nevertheless classified as private, provided that they are ultimately subject to private control. Public regulation may extend to areas such as curriculum, staffing appointments, admissions policies, and other matters.

    The ESES does not distinguish between government dependent private and independent private institutions.

    Home Schooling is an alternative method of learning that takes place outside of the public or private school environment. Parents choosing homeschooling have the primary responsibility of managing, delivering and supervising their children's courses and program of learning, which can vary from a very structured curriculum to free-form learning.

    Enrolments

    Headcount enrolment
    Defined as the number of students enrolled in September (or as close as possible thereafter) of the school year.

    Full Time Equivalent (FTE) enrolment
    Defined as the number of full-time students enrolled in September (or as close as possible thereafter) of the school year, plus the sum of part-time students according to the time fraction spent in the classroom and for which students are funded. For example, junior kindergarten and kindergarten students taking a half-time program and where a half-time program is being funded, the FTE enrolment would be the headcount enrolment divided by two, which is 0.5. If a student is only taking a quarter of the usual course load and is funded on that basis, the FTE enrolment would be the headcount enrolment divided by four, which is 0.25.

    Minority, aboriginal and second language programs

    Regular Second Language Programs (or Core Language Programs)
    Programs where French is taught to Anglophone students or English is taught to Francophone students as a subject in the regular course offerings. One or more additional subjects can also be taught in the student's second official language but second language instruction must not exceed 25% of all instruction time.

    Second Language Immersion Programs
    Programs where French is the language of instruction for Anglophone students or English is the language of instruction for Francophone students. Instruction time in the student's second official language exceeds 25% of all instruction time.

    Minority Language Programs (or First Official Language Programs)
    Programs for students from the official language linguistic minority in the relevant province or territory (French outside Québec, English in Québec). These programs allow children in the linguistic minority to pursue their education in their first official language.

    Aboriginal Language as a Subject (Aboriginal Second Language Program or Core Aboriginal)
    Programs where an Aboriginal language is taught as a subject (as a part of the regular course offerings). One or more additional subjects can also be taught in an Aboriginal language but may not exceed 25% of all instruction time.

    Aboriginal Language Immersion Programs (Aboriginal First Language Programs)
    Programs where the language of instruction is in an Aboriginal language for Aboriginal students (exclude non-Aboriginal/First Nation students).

    Graduates

    Graduates represent first time graduates only. They can represent late graduates but not the same graduate twice.

    Educators

    Teachers include personnel involved in direct student instruction in a group or one-on-one basis. They include classroom teachers; special education teachers; specialists (music, physical education); and other teachers who work with students as a whole class in a classroom, in small groups in a resource room, or one-on-one inside or outside a regular classroom, including substitute/supply teachers. Chairpersons of departments who spend the majority of their time teaching and personnel temporarily not at work (e.g. for reasons of illness or injury, maternity or parental leave, holiday or vacation) should also be reported in this category. It excludes teacher's aides or student teachers as well as other personnel who do not get paid for their employment. For teacher's aides or educational assistants see category "pedagogical support" below.

    School Administrators include all personnel who support the administration and management of the school such as principals, vice-principals and other management staff with similar responsibilities only if they do not spend the majority of their time teaching. They do not include those who are in higher level management; receptionists, secretaries, clerks and other staff who support the administrative activities of the school; and those who are reported under "other than educators".

    Pedagogical Support staff includes professional non-teaching personnel who provide services to students to support their instruction program. It includes educational assistants, paid teacher's aides, guidance counselors and librarians. They do not include those in health and social support who should be reported under "other than educators".

    Educator Headcount is defined as the number of educators on September 30th (or as close as possible thereafter) of the school year who are responsible for providing services to the students.

    Full Time Equivalent (FTE) Educator is defined as the number of full-time educators on September 30th (or as close as possible thereafter) of the school year, plus the sum of part-time educators according to their percentage of a full-time employment allocation (determined by the province or territory). For example, if a normal full-time work allocation is ten months per year, an educator who works for six months of the year would be counted as 0.6 of a Full Time Equivalent (FTE) or an employee who works part time for ten months at 60% of full time would be 0.6 of an FTE.

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