Albertans need to stand up in face of new curriculum

While I was travelling the province during teachers’ convention, the number one topic teachers asked me about was curriculum. You’d think that most of the teachers who were concerned about this were our K–3 colleagues and school leaders, but this was not the case. Teachers in grades 4–6, junior high school and high school were all concerned about the never-ending drama called curriculum design. Teachers highlighted the concerns that the ATA has been raising throughout the entire process — lack of resources, the sequencing of subject content, lack of collaboration time with their colleagues to plan and the overuse of standardized testing. 

Two recent announcements by the government are telling about the road forward regarding curriculum and assessment. The first was the budget that came out on February 28. The budget includes details about funding targeted for curriculum implementation — $47 million has been set aside for next year — but the language in the budget is general about how that money will actually be spent. 

The details will be in the just-released school authority funding manuals. One concerning development is the increased funding to expand standardized testing, which our students in grades K–3 experienced, into Grade 5. As teachers, we know our students have areas to catch up on from the disruptive pandemic school years, but testing our way out of it is not the solution. Teachers need time to teach, build relationships with students and have the supports they need to help students funded. Not another test.

The second announcement came on March 17, when the government announced their plans to move ahead with the implementation of new curriculum for K–3 science, French first language and literature, French immersion language arts and literature, as well as grades 4–6 math and English language arts and literature. There is a lot to unpack in the new final draft. 

The fact that the government is moving ahead with the new curriculum is troublesome and unfortunate given what the ATA has heard from members about the implementation of the K–3 curriculum. It is obvious that the government is once again not listening to the concerns of teachers, parents and school leaders. 

One thing we can expect is more announcements from the government as we get closer to the provincial election. That is why the ATA’s Stand for Education campaign also focuses on curriculum as well as class size and complexities. As MLA candidates come to your door, or you attend a forum, ask them about curriculum and what their thoughts are. Regardless of what grade we teach, we all want our students to have a modern, diverse curriculum. ❚