In May 1981, the Minister of Education established a Curriculum and Instruction Review Committee to conduct the first major review of education in Saskatchewan since 1963. The result was the final report Directions (1984), presented to the Minister in December 1983. The report recommended a new set of educational goals (Figure 1) and a renewal of the K-12 program for Saskatchewan schools. Plans for the major curriculum revision were included in Core Curriculum: Plans for Implementation (1987). Recommendations led to the development of four Foundation documents: Understanding the Common Essential Learnings (1988); Instructional Approaches: A Framework for Professional Practice (1991); Student Evaluation: A Teacher Handbook (1991); and, The Adaptive Dimension in Core Curriculum (1992). These documents are key reference points for curriculum development and delivery in Saskatchewan.

Other documents have impacted on the development of the Practical and Applied Arts (PAA) curriculum:

• K-12 Post-Secondary Articulation Committee Final Report (1990)
• High School Review Advisory Committee Final Report (1994)
• Policy Directions for Secondary Education in Saskatchewan. Ministers’ Response to the High School Review Advisory Committee Final Report (1994)
• Transition-to-Work Guidelines (1995) (Interim)
• Partnership for Growth (1996)
• Actualization of Core Curriculum (1999)
• Core Curriculum: Principles, Time Allocation, and Credit Policy (2000)
• High School to Apprenticeship: A Link to the Future (2001)
• Classroom Curriculum Connections (2002

In the spring of 1996, the Practical and Applied Arts Reference Committee was established. The process of completing the new Practical and Applied Arts curriculum began using a modified structure (Figure 2). Many people and ideas have influenced the outcomes of this process.