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By Josh Hall | @Vancan19

Education announcement

Teachers, parents share concerns about UCP’s expansion of elementary screening tools

Dec 6, 2024 | 1:45 PM

While the Government of Alberta believes new numeracy and literacy screening tools for kids in kindergarten, as well as those in Grades 1 through 5, will help student outcomes, both the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) and the Alberta School Councils’ Association (ASCA) have concerns to the contrary.

This is made more interesting by the fact the province cited the ATA in a news release this week as having been consulted.

The latest announcement from the Ministry of Education notes these tools were introduced this fall for Grades 1 through 3, and effective Jan. 1, 2025, kindergarteners will join the fray.

“We need to make sure students are supported as they build their foundational literacy and numeracy skills,” says Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides. “Timely, impactful screening and intervention will ensure that no student falls through the cracks and will help educators and parents connect their child or student to the right supports at the right time, so they are able to reach their full potential.”

The $10 million being invested this school year will offer teachers access to a variety of resources to help them screen and support students, the release says. They will include tutorial videos for specific screenings, intervention lesson plans, and kindergarten council intervention activities, among others.

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The provincial news release also contains supportive statements from Edmonton-based Aurora Academic Charter School, Decoding Dyslexia Alberta, and a staff member at Mount Royal University.

It goes on to note that award-winning academic experts from the ATA were among those who helped develop the screening tools.

Jason Schilling, ATA president, says the UCP’s decision to introduce standardized testing for kindergarten students lacks an understanding of what is happening in Alberta classrooms.

“While the ATA supported research into screening through our Educational Research Award, we do not support the province’s model of delivery. Instead of providing direct support to the students who need it most, the government has decided to move forward with blanket testing and no targeted interventions,” he says.

“This means replacing five full days of valuable instruction time with administering tests. For half-day programs, that’s increased to 10 full days. Teachers are already juggling overcrowded classrooms and a lack of resources. If these assessments were meant to put students first, the government has missed the mark.”

This exacerbates the resources already spread thin in classrooms and provides no benefits to students, Schilling added.

Meantime, the ASCA says the way these tools are being expanded, some believe, will come at a cost to students and teachers in numbers unquantifiable.

“Opportunities for building critical relationships between teachers and students in September became limited, and some schools and divisions faced great challenges in finding adequate staffing to either conduct the assessments, or to cover for classroom teachers conducting the assessments,” says Kenneth Glazebrook, ASCA president.

“In some cases, students struggled with the concepts they were being assessed on/for, and expressed frustration, anger, and signs of depression as a result.”

Glazebrook says the ASCA is urging the UCP to use a more holistic approach, adding that his members, while not directly involved in the process, have voiced concerns about the new tools’ implementation.

“As valuable as these screenings may be in identifying students who may struggle with literacy and numeracy, they are reported to be extremely time-consuming. ASCA recognizes the importance of supporting teachers and urges Alberta Education to properly fund the additional staffing required to support this initiative,” adds Glazebrook.

“One area that we would have championed would be the development and distribution of a conversation guide that would empower parents to engage in meaningful discussions about their child’s test performance during parent-teacher conferences. This proactive effort would aim to promote collaboration among students, parents, and teachers, fostering a holistic approach to improving educational outcomes within and outside the classroom.”

He adds finally that additional testing has the potential to cause emotional, social and academic burnout in those students.

The UCP notes, it has invested $85 million into the Learning Disruption Fund since 2021, supporting students requiring additional supports in literacy and numeracy.

All students in grades one through three are being screened twice a year, in September and January, with the option for a third screening, if deemed necessary.

Grades 4 and 5 will join the updated screening regulations in September 2026.