In September 1993, the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada endorsed the Victoria Declaration, which outlined a plan for future directions in Canadian education. The Declaration outlined the following beliefs held in common by all Ministers:
We believe that education is a lifelong learning process. We also believe that the future of our society depends on informed and educated citizens who, while fulfilling their own goals of personal and professional development, contribute to the social, economic, and cultural development of their community and of the country as a whole. Beyond our borders, Canadian education should reflect the priorities of Canadians while contributing to strengthening Canada's place internationally.
We share many common educational goals and we agree to ensure greater harmonization of the ways we set about achieving them. There is already in place a vast range of educational opportunities across Canada that should be fully accessible to individual learners. We jointly want to have the highest quality education based on shared and relevant goals, and to demonstrate accountability for achieving them. Above all, we want all citizens to have a fair and equitable opportunity in whatever educational and training endeavours they may pursue.
In February 1995, the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada adopted the Pan-Canadian Protocol for Collaboration on School Curriculum. The protocol acknowledges that education is a provincial and territorial responsibility, while recognizing that interjurisdictional co-operation can contribute to improving the quality of education in the country. In keeping with the protocol, participating jurisdictions believe that sharing human and financial resources can increase the quality and efficiency of the curriculum development processes in Canada.
The Common framework of science learning outcomes K to 12 (hereinafter called the framework) is the first joint development project initiated under the protocol. The framework sets out a vision and foundation statements for scientific literacy in Canada, outlines general and specific learning outcomes, and provides illustrative examples for some of these outcomes. The framework provides common ground for the development of curriculum within each participating jurisdiction, and may result in more consistency in the learning outcomes for science across jurisdictions. Other potential benefits include a greater harmonization of science curriculum for increased student mobility, the development of quality pan-canadian learning resources, and collaboration in professional development activities by teachers of science. Each jurisdiction will determine when and how the framework is to be used. All work on this project was done simultaneously in French and English.
The development of the framework involved the expertise of participating ministries and departments of education, in collaboration with teachers, students, school administrators, parents, business representatives, postsecondary educators, and other partners in education. This framework is intended for curriculum developers in the various jurisdictions, especially those who work within ministries and departments of education. Other education stakeholders may also be interested in consulting this document.