(Dreamstime)

By rdnewsNOW Staff

Tight Timeline Concerns

NDP and ATA not impressed with Alberta’s new K-6 curriculum

Apr 13, 2022 | 5:23 PM

Alberta’s NDP says it promises Albertans that if elected to form the next government, the UCP’s K-6 curriculum will be scrapped.

“Adriana LaGrange claimed she listened to Albertans feedback on this curriculum but if that was the case, then the entire K-6 rewrite would have been put in a trash and we wouldn’t see it being forced on schools in September,” said Sarah Hoffman, Alberta NDP Education Critic, on Wednesday.

The Opposition says parents, teachers, trustees, academics, racialized Albertans, Francophones and Indigenous leaders have repeatedly called on the UCP government to scrap their widely discredited K-6 curriculum rewrite.

“Alberta students deserve to learn from a modern, inclusive curriculum,” Hoffman said. “Families deserve a government they can trust and have confidence that teachers, cultural leaders, academic leaders and employers are fully involved in a curriculum students are expected to learn.

“Educators have told the UCP that this curriculum is not worthy of Alberta’s students. That the quality is not good enough and it is going to set Alberta education and the students who receive that education back 50 years or more,” Hoffman said.

Last seen Jan. 15

Missing: Courtney Cattleman, 17, of Maskwacis

4h ago

eyes up

Air Spray training around Red Deer Regional Airport

4h ago

Prevention, Access, Recovery, and Coordination

Safe Harbour officially hands over shelter keys, establishes accessible navigation hub

22h ago

“I want to speak directly to parents, teachers, trustees and every Albertan who is appalled with this curriculum,” Hoffman added. “Do not despair. There is hope.

“An election is coming and clearly the only way to truly have a curriculum Albertans can have confidence in is to change the government. Albertans have the power to elect a government they can trust.

“An NDP government led by Rachel Notley will halt the implementation of this horrible K-6 rewrite and we will work to build a curriculum all Albertans can be proud of.”

Meanwhile, the Alberta Teachers Association (ATA) says LaGrange must release all commentary collected by government over the past year before teachers will have confidence their concerns were meaningfully considered and addressed.

ATA President Jason Schilling says LaGrange continues to hide the feedback the government received from teachers and parents on the previous draft.

“Teachers don’t trust this minister to take their concerns seriously. This government has a steady track record of putting in their ear plugs and dismissing the legitimate concerns of teachers,” said Schilling.

“We know that hundreds of teachers, academics, parents and others have criticized the content and direction of the previous draft directly to the minister and through the very limited dialogue she has permitted to take place. But Albertans don’t know if today’s version of the curriculum incorporates that feedback or, instead, continues to reflect the political and ideological interference that has plagued this process so far,” added Schilling.

Schilling says the ATA will now undertake comprehensive strategies to hear from teachers about the content of the latest draft released on April 13. The organization says it is establishing an online feedback portal where teachers can comment on the revisions.

In May, teacher leaders from nine of the ATA’s subject area specialist councils are expected to meet to more fully discuss the content of the curriculum and the road ahead related to implementation.

“In previous surveys and engagements teachers overwhelmingly told us that the draft curriculum was not suitable for use in classrooms,” said Schilling. “93 per cent of teachers were unhappy with the draft and 94 per cent of school leaders were uncomfortable with it being implemented in their schools. We will have to hear now from teachers on whether today’s version alleviates their concerns, but if past practice and attitudes from government prevail, then I’m not optimistic.”

Regardless of the content, Schilling says teachers are not prepared for implementation in September. The ATA says a recent survey from Environics Research is said to have found that only 3 per cent of teachers believe they have the supports and resources they require to successfully implement the curriculum this fall. Schilling says that with only weeks left in the school year, there is no way that teachers, without any resources developed or supports already in place, can successfully plan instruction in multiple subjects by September.

Ryan Sawula, Associate Superintendent-Curriculum, with Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools where LaGrange was a former trustee from 2007-2018, says they are pleased that Alberta Education provided the update and to hear from the minister that there will continue to be a measured approach to implementation that takes into account the demands placed on, and needs of teachers as they move forward.

“Our plan for implementation has begun and is focused on keeping goals and expectations manageable for administrators and teachers, relying on the innovation and expertise of our school staff with support, and ensuring that they have the resources to meet the needs of their local school community,” said Sawula. “We eagerly anticipate further details from the ministry on the professional development support they promised today. We still have concerns related to the short turnaround time of these plans and the required implementation for the fall.”

Dan Lower, Associate Superintendent for Learning Services with Red Deer Public Schools, says that as officials are still unpacking recent changes made to the curriculum after its release, the new English language arts and literature curriculum is based on the current science of reading research which will provide a solid foundation for students’ success in reading.

“Certainly, we are appreciative of the online resources that will be available to support educators with teaching math, reading, writing, speaking and listening,” he said. “We are pleased that the amount of content in the K-3 Numeracy curriculum has been reduced, which will allow our students to gain a solid foundation and deep understanding of numbers, patterns, algebra, measurement, geometry, time and statistics at an early age,” he said.

In terms of preparation, Red Deer Public Schools says they will begin working with elementary teachers this week with a number of sessions planned through to June to ensure teachers feel confident and are well prepared.