Beginner Driver Education (BDE) Curriculum Standards

Introduction

New Beginner Driver Education (BDE) curriculum standards are being introduced to ensure that the BDE curriculum delivered in Ontario meets high standards of quality. The new standards are the result of the concerted efforts of the Canadian Standards Association and various stakeholders within the driving school industry, research experts and subject matter experts and will be used as the benchmark for approving all BDE curricula throughout Ontario.

Quality BDE provides a foundation for safe and responsible driving and serves as a valuable opportunity to help develop positive driving attitudes and behaviours in new drivers. BDE Curriculum Standards have been developed for use in Ontario in order to improve the quality of BDE across the province.

The BDE Curriculum Standards are made up of two parts. Part A: Curriculum Design Standards provides requirements for the design and delivery of the curriculum such as the approach, structure, educational settings and instructional hours, and the measurement of student competencies. Part B: Curriculum Content Standards provides requirements for the content of the curriculum such as the intended learning outcomes, required topics, and competency measures for the curriculum.

The BDE Curriculum Standards include minimum requirements that BDE curriculum developers are required to meet or exceed. Use of the BDE Curriculum Standards in the development of BDE curriculum will help to ensure that all BDE course providers deliver accurate and consistent information, and will encourage fair competition and excellence within the driving school industry.

The goal of the BDE Curriculum Standards is to improve all BDE being delivered in Ontario in order to:

• Enhance road safety for all road-users;
• Improve the driving competency of beginner drivers;
• Help beginner drivers develop respectful and responsible attitudes toward driving that contribute to the safety of all road users;
• Enhance driver mobility by helping beginner drivers to drive in a confident and safe manner whenever they need to drive; and,
• Increase BDE participation by increasing market confidence in the quality of all BDE being delivered across Ontario.