Due to severe flooding in July, Barnett House will remain closed until early 2027.
The ATA Library is still open and providing resources to members.
Staff are working from home and continue to serve members online and by phone.
The Southern Alberta Regional Office (SARO) in Calgary is unaffected and conducts business per usual.
Albertans can expect to see more screeners. On Sept. 9, Minister of Education and Childcare Demetrios Nicolaides announced that the province’s numeracy and literacy screeners program is expanding to include Grades 4 and 5.
Beginning in the 2026/27 school year, Grade 4 and 5 students will take mandatory literacy and numeracy screeners each fall. Additional screening in the winter is recommended, and students identified as requiring additional supports will take part in spring screening to measure progress.
“These screeners are short, simple activities that can have a huge impact on identifying and stopping issues with math and reading before they grow into even larger issues down the road for a student,” Nicolaides said.
The expansion builds on mandatory screening that has been in place for kindergarten to Grade 3 students since 2024/25, which has had mixed reviews. The ministry says the screeners and related supports are already having an impact in schools, while the ATA continues to raise questions about the value of theses standardized tests for young students.
“Teachers have shared their ongoing concerns with the screening program for K–3 students,” said ATA president Jason Schilling. “Rather than adding more and more assessments, the focus needs to be on creating sustainable and equitable supports for the complex needs we’re seeing in schools.”
For 2026/27, the province plans to spend $20 million in screening and supports, 60 per cent more than in the previous school year.
