Resolutions arising from the six-year review of policy
1-1/25
BE IT RESOLVED that policy 2.1.0.1 be reaffirmed:
"All children in a public education system have the right to an education that will develop their individual potentials."
1-2 /25
BE IT RESOLVED that policy 2.1.0.2 be reaffirmed:
"Basic to education are learning experiences that help students to become knowledgeable, self-directed, responsible individuals who are able to form healthy social relationships and become engaged, contributing members of a complex, changing democratic society."
1-3/25
BE IT RESOLVED that policy 2.1.0.3 be reaffirmed:
"The mission of public education is to
1. develop the potential and gifts of each child;
2. instill an enthusiasm for learning that equips students to function effectively in work and life and to pursue further learning; and
3. prepare students to become active, contributing citizens in a democratic society."
1-5/25
BE IT RESOLVED that policy 2.1.0.5 be amended to read—
“The content, activities and resources associated with each subject in the program of studies and all curriculum should be tailored to the developmental level and learning needs of students so that they attain a deeper understanding of each subject and of the connections between them as they progress from grade to grade.”
1-8/25
BE IT RESOLVED that policy 2.1.0.8 be amended to read—
“Teachers should have the primary role in developing the program of studies and curriculum.”
1-9/25
BE IT RESOLVED that policy 2.1.0.9 be reaffirmed:
"The Government of Alberta should actively engage the Association and teachers in curriculum development as they are both subject matter and pedagogical experts in curriculum matters.
1-11/25
BE IT RESOLVED that policy 2.1.0.11 be reaffirmed:
"The Government of Alberta must ensure that those advising on curriculum include Alberta K–12 classroom teachers who are representative and supportive of the diverse communities in Alberta."
1-15/25
BE IT RESOLVED that policy 2.2.1.4 be amended to read—
“The Government of Alberta should employ certificated teachers with expertise in curriculum design to supervise the development and implementation of programs of study and new curriculum.”
1-19/25
BE IT RESOLVED that policy 2.2.1.8 be amended to read—
“The Government of Alberta is responsible for providing ongoing funding and support for educational programs that it authorizes.”
1-23/25
BE IT RESOLVED that policy 2.2.1.12 be reaffirmed:
"Teachers require adequate time during the school day and sustained resources to perform their role in curriculum development and implementation."
1-25/25
BE IT RESOLVED that policy 2.2.1.14 be reaffirmed:
“The Association opposes the censorship of locally or provincially approved teaching and learning resources.”
1-29/25
BE IT RESOLVED that policy 2.2.1.18 be reaffirmed:
"The Government of Alberta and school authorities should provide time, inservice and resources for new curriculum before implementation."
1-71/25
BE IT RESOLVED that policy 2.2.9.2 be reaffirmed:
"The Government of Alberta should provide school authorities with sufficient funding to ensure that every school in Alberta has a learning commons or a library that is staffed by at least one qualified teacher–librarian and the clerical and technical personnel required."
1-75/25
BE IT RESOLVED that policy 2.2.10.2 be reaffirmed:
"The Government of Alberta should provide sufficient funding to school authorities to enable them to hire at least one formally trained, full-time teacher–counsellor for every 250 students."
1-100/25
Be it resolved that policy 3.1.0.3 be reaffirmed:
"Teachers representing the Association should constitute a majority of the members on all Government of Alberta committees dealing with student assessment."
1-102/25
BE IT RESOLVED that policy 3.2.1.1 be amended to read:
"External assessment instruments including literacy and numeracy screeners should exhibit these characteristics:
1. Be fair, just and equitable
2. Engage students
3. Instill in students the confidence that they can learn and succeed
4. Provide the teacher with information to make informed instructional decisions
5. Be consistent with the Principles for Fair Student Assessment Practices for Education in Canada"
1-104/25
BE IT RESOLVED that policy 3.2.1.3 be amended to read:
"Standardized tests, including provincial achievement tests instruments including literacy and numeracy screeners, and international assessments, are unacceptable if
1. the test results are used to determine educational funding;
2. the test results are used to compare students, teachers, programs, schools, communities, school authorities or provinces;
3. the test results constitute the sole criterion for determining in what grade or program students should be placed, whether they have completed a course or whether they should be promoted;
4. the tests do not match the developmental level of students;
5. the tests do not match the language proficiency of students;
6. the tests compromise the mental health of students;
7. the test results are used to evaluate teachers or to determine their compensation or employment status;
8. the curriculum is narrowed to focus only on content covered in the test;
9. the tests and the time spent preparing for them cut into instructional time; or
10. the tests contravene the Principles for Fair Student Assessment Practices for Education in Canada."
1-105/25
BE IT RESOLVED that policy 3.2.1.4 be reaffirmed:
"The Government of Alberta, in developing curriculum and constructing assessment instruments, should recognize that students can demonstrate their learning in many ways."
1-112/25
BE IT RESOLVED that policy 3.2.1.11 be amended to read:
"The Government of Alberta should analyze the results of achievement tests including literacy and numeracy screeners and diploma examinations to determine whether such factors as the gender or cultural background of students influences results and, if it does, revise the tests to eliminate that bias."
1-115/25
BE IT RESOLVED that policy 3.2.1.14 be amended to read:
"The Government of Alberta should not implement any high-stakes or developmentally inappropriate testing programs for students in Division I."
1-117/25
BE IT RESOLVED that policy 3.2.2.2 be amended to read:
"The teachers providing instruction should have the primary responsibility for assessing and evaluating student learning, which is the best way to determine student progress."
1-165/25
BE IT RESOLVED that policy 16.2.3.1 be reaffirmed:
"Institutions offering teacher preparation programs should ensure that all faculty members
1. are certificated teachers;
2. have demonstrated excellence in teaching in elementary or secondary schools; and
3. stay current by making classroom visits, engaging in collaborative research with teachers, attending conventions and other meetings, and joining specialist councils."
Local resolutions
2-11/25
BE IT RESOLVED that the Association urge school authorities to create policies for safe temperatures and air quality index to continue outdoor physical education and indoor/outdoor activities in all seasons that instruction occurs.
2-12/25
BE IT RESOLVED artificial intelligence be recognized as an instructional support tool that can enhance, but never supplant, a teacher’s professional roles, judgment, expertise or relational engagement with students.
2-14/25
BE IT RESOLVED that the Association urge the Government of Alberta to continue to employ certificated teachers in the design, writing, field testing and marking of government-mandated provincial achievement tests and diploma exams.
2-22/25
BE IT RESOLVED that the Association urge the Government of Alberta to recognize the value of education support staff and compensate them fairly in order to attract and retain skilled workers.
2-24/25
BE IT RESOLVED that policy 6.2.9.1 be amended to read—
“The Government of Alberta, in funding students and programs for students with exceptional learning needs, should adequately cover costs to
1. provide ongoing inservice to the staff involved;
2. hire appropriately trained educational assistants;
3. ensure trained personnel to transport students;
4. contract professionals to assess and develop programs for students, in consultation with the classroom teacher;
5 access medical and other noninstructional government services;
6. purchase assistive technology and other special equipment and resources;
7. renovate schools to ensure that they are barrier-free;
8. create an environment conducive to the education of students with exceptional learning needs;
9. reduce teacher-pupil ratios, as necessary, based on the complexity of the needs of the students in each class; and
10. reduce the instructional time of teachers so that they can (a) effectively plan instruction, collaborate with student-support teams and other professionals; and (b) develop, implement and monitor plans that are required for individual students.”
2-34/25
BE IT RESOLVED that the Association urge the government to establish and fund a program that enables teachers who are qualified responders to voluntarily assist civil authorities in responding to emergencies and natural disasters, with the government covering their full salary and benefits during such service.
2-38/25
BE IT RESOLVED that, where possible, the Association, at its Annual Representative Assembly, ensure accessibility for delegates by providing adequate spacing between seating and aisles and closed captioning on screens.
Provincial Executive Council resolutions
3-2/25
BE IT RESOLVED that the Association oppose the establishment of publicly funded collegiate schools that
1. employ noncertificated teachers who are not members of the bargaining unit to instruct, supervise and/or monitor students;
2. exclude students on any basis that violates human rights legislation;
3. exclude students because of the economic, social or educational circumstances of their parents;
4. restrict enrolment to students of higher levels of ability or achievement;
5. function as an early streaming mechanism that may unfairly impact students with a variety of intersectional identity factors;
6. threaten the survival of local public schools by diminishing their enrolments;
7. are not in alignment with Association policy on dual-credit programming; and
8. are intended, by the Government of Alberta, as a mechanism to address shortages of skilled tradespeople instead of providing adequate funding for the expansion of postsecondary institutions’ capacity to provide apprenticeship training and trades certification.
3-3/25
BE IT RESOLVED that the Association support the establishment of dual-credit programming that
1. is instructed, supervised and/or monitored by a certificated teacher who is a member of the bargaining unit;
2. ensures off-campus instruction includes frequent on-site monitoring and reporting by certificated teachers who are members of the bargaining unit;
3. ensures students are not excluded on any basis that violates human rights legislation;
4. ensures students are not excluded because of the economic, social or educational circumstances of their parents;
5. is not intended as a strategy to manage class size; and
6. is supported by targeted funding, provided by the Government of Alberta, for both on-campus and off-campus programming.
3-8/25
BE IT RESOLVED that the Government of Alberta develop a new teacher practicum grant program that
1. is administered by the Government of Alberta,
2. allows preservice teachers registered in Alberta-based teacher preparation programs to apply directly to the Government of Alberta for financial support for any full-day field experience placement of five or more consecutive working days in length and
3. provides biweekly funding sufficient to cover reasonable and essential costs of living for the duration of the field experience.
3-9/25
BE IT RESOLVED that the Government of Alberta ensure that curriculum redesign includes authentic, comprehensive general and specific outcomes related to racism directed toward Indigenous Peoples, including historical and ongoing impacts of colonization and assimilation policies and practices, moving toward a culturally reflective and responsive curriculum.
3-10/25
Be it resolved that the Government of Alberta revisit and renew Aboriginal Studies curriculum and select resources and design assessments to align with Indigenous Knowledge Systems.
3-11/25
Be it resolved that the Association urge the Government of Alberta to continue to employ certificated teachers, gathered in one central location, in the assessment process of provincial achievement tests and diploma examinations.
3-12/25
BE IT RESOLVED that the Association urge the Government of Alberta to work with teachers and educational partners, including organizations representing diverse language communities, to rewrite and reorganize additional language curricula, such as French as a Second Language, Bilingual Language Arts, and Language and Culture courses, to align with the new curriculum architecture.
3-13/25
BE IT RESOLVED that the Association provide funds to enhance supports and services for internationally educated teachers (IETs) by exploring issues related to certification, recruitment and communications obstacles.
3-14/25
BE IT RESOLVED that the Association create a new budget line to continue to support employee disability claims and return to-work arrangements through return to work medical assessments, ergonomic assessments and independent medical examinations required under the collective agreements with Association staff.
3-18/25
BE IT RESOLVED that the Association oppose the piloting of the Math 7–9, Social Studies 7–9, Physical Education and Wellness 7–10, and Career and Life Management curriculum for the 2025/26 school year.
3-19/25
BE IT RESOLVED that the Association urge the Government of Alberta to ensure that curriculum intended for piloting and/or implementation is publicly Released:
1. a minimum of five months prior to the beginning of the school year, not inclusive of the summer months, and
2. with an accompanying repository of teaching and learning resources developed with Alberta Teachers to support piloting and/or implementation of the released curriculum.
3-20/25
Be it resolved that the Association urge the Government of Alberta to discontinue the administration of provincially mandated standardized literacy and numeracy screening assessments in kindergarten to Grade 3.
3-21/25
BE IT RESOLVED that the Association urge the Government of Alberta to recognize and grant individual teachers the authority to decide whether to use ministry-recommended literacy and numeracy screening assessments and, if utilized, when in the school year the screening assessments will be administered and to whom.
3-22/25
BE IT RESOLVED that policy 23.2.2.1 be amended to read—“The Association does not align itself with any political party or with any candidate seeking political office, although it may identify, attribute and take a position on platform positions or statements made by candidates, slates and/or parties that are in opposition to the best interests of public education.”
Emergent resolutions
4-1/25
BE IT RESOLVED that the Association urge the Government of Alberta to implement the “Call to Action on Education: The Exclusion and Lack of Consultation with Elders and First Nations in the Alberta Curriculum”.
4-3/25
BE IT RESOLVED that the Association urge the provincial government and school authorities to establish comprehensive trauma-informed support systems that prioritize and ensure teacher physical and mental safety in the workspace.
4-4/25
BE IT RESOLVED that the Association urge all school boards in Alberta to publicly release detailed information regarding the allocation and utilization of funding received through the Alberta School Nutrition Program and any other sources dedicated to student nutrition.