It also allows for additional locally developed curriculum to be approved by School Boards. Provincial curriculum is developed by committees of teachers under the supervision of Ministry officials and with the assistance of university professors or other consultants as necessary. Because education is a provincial responsibility, it has been developed independently in each province in the past. Increasingly, the four western provinces have been working together to develop a common curriculum in order to share expertise and reduce costs. Parents may purchase copies of any IRP from the Office Products Center of the provincial government, but they may also review IRPs by talking to their teacher or principal.
Many school libraries maintain a set of IRPs for parents to consult.
However, the IRP does not define how that will be done. Designing learning activities and selecting resources which will meet the unique needs of individual classes in different parts of the province and individual students within each class is the most fundamental professional task for a teacher. The Collective Agreement with teachers gives them a guarantee of professional autonomy in their lesson planning so long as that is consistent with the curriculum and with common understandings of best educational practice. Most selection of core resources is done at the school level, sometimes with advice from the district office. Most selection of additional resources is done by individual teachers.