Schools throughout the province can pilot three updated draft K-6 subjects in classrooms this fall.
The updated draft curriculum was updated based on advice from the Curriculum Implementation Advisory Group to ensure there’s a balanced and phased approach to the K-6 curriculum renewal, a provincial media release said.
Piloting will begin with Science, French First Language and Literature, and French Immersion Language Arts and Literature.
“We have updated the draft K-6 Science, French First Language and Literature, and French Immersion Language Arts and Literature curriculums with insights we heard from this year’s classroom piloting process and engagement with Albertans, including our francophone education partners and their communities. School authorities will have the opportunity to pilot these subjects with teachers and students to help us understand how the updated curriculum transfers to classrooms,” Minister of Education Adriana LaGrange said in the release.
The subject’s content updates include revisions and additions to the draft Science content to integrate scientific methods and hands-on activities, emphasize connections to nature and address digital literacy and ethics, and enhancements to the draft French First Language and Literature content to support the development of francophone identity through the inclusion of francophone perspectives and cultures.
Changes also included enhancements to the draft French Immersion Language Arts and Literature curriculum to strengthen francophone perspectives and culture, provide logical learning progressions, develop effective and meaningful communication, support critical thinking and language skills, and changes across the subjects to address instances of concern with content load, age appropriateness, wording clarity and First Nations, Métis and Inuit content.
School authorities will have flexibility in how schools participate in operational classroom piloting. The piloting experience will include supporting teachers with professional learning opportunities, information, and tools to work with the updated subjects in classrooms and collecting feedback from teachers piloting the draft curriculums.
By June 6, school authorities are expected to identify their intent to participate in classroom piloting, including how many teachers are involved, and the subjects and grade levels they will pilot.
Albertans can provide feedback on the updated draft K-6 subjects, while schools pilot the curriculum.
By next spring, the feedback from classroom piloting and Albertans will inform final updates to the three curriculums prior to provincewide implementation during the 2023-24 school year, the release said.
“The College of Alberta School Superintendents is appreciative of the opportunity for teachers to pilot draft curriculum. We are pleased that the government continues to seek feedback from experts in the field and believe that piloting not only provides the government with valuable information but better prepares teachers for implementation,” president, College of Alberta School superintendents and member of Curriculum Implementation Advisory Group, Wilco Tymensen said.
To implement the draft curriculum, the provincial government allocated $59 million, including a $6.5 million investment to support piloting and support teachers.
Between March 2021 and March 2022, Albertans provided feedback on the draft K-6 curriculum by completing more than 34,000 online surveys and participating in 31 virtual engagement sessions held in five regions across the province.
