(RDCRS)

By rdnewsNOW Staff

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Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools implements new curriculum and staggered entry process

Oct 3, 2022 | 4:17 PM

Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools (RDCRS) says they kicked off their school year with an optional staggered entry process and implementation of the new curriculum.

Officials say the staggered entry approach consisted of half the student population beginning on the first day of school and the other half on the second day.

The Division says they have experienced the benefits of the process over the past two years, with positive feedback from families and staff.

Input was gathered via surveys with some of the Division’s schools opting to employ this method of start-up. Respondents also said the approach worked well to support students as they transitioned back to school and into their classes.

While not all schools chose this optional route based on parent and staff responses, the Division confirms they still had a very successful school start up.

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Implementation of the new curriculum is also in full swing with the Division said to be using a measured approach, considering the needs of students and teachers and the demands placed on them as they move forward with this process.

The Division’s elementary schools say that their key priority within their school improvement planning this year is new curriculum implementation, allowing them to narrow their focus and utilize professional development and collaborative time to support teachers with their implementation work.

Officials say Kindergarten to Grade 3 teachers are implementing the Mathematics and English Language Arts and Literature new curriculums. While Kindergarten to Grade 6 are implementing the new Physical Education and Wellness curriculum. All but the three high schools at RDCRS are said to be implementing some level of mandatory curriculum implementation.

In addition to the mandatory implementation of subject areas, RDCRS says they also have teachers choosing to participate in the optional piloting of the next phase of the new curriculum. There are seven confirmed teachers choosing optional implementation for English Language Arts and Literature in Grades 4 to 6, four teachers in Grades 4 to 5 Mathematics, four teachers in Grade 4 Science, three in Grade 5 Science, and one teacher piloting the Grade 6 French Immersion Language Arts.

“We believe strongly that classroom teachers are the instructional experts and implementing a plan to ensure this expertise is the strongest voice in our curriculum implementation. We will continue to focus on a measured collaborative approach that fosters innovation in our classrooms,” said Ryan Sawula, Associate Superintendent of Curriculum at RDCRS.

The Division says school leadership teams will continue to meet to collaborate on implementation plans and share strategies and best practices. They also state schools have been provided the funds allocated from Alberta Education for curriculum implementation, professional development and collaboration, and have developed strong launch events to introduce the new curriculum and establish safe risk-taking environments for collaborating and examining instructional practices.