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By rdnewsNOW Staff

NDP and ATA not impressed with Alberta’s new K-6 curriculum

Apr 14, 2022 | 9:52 AM

RED DEER, AB – Alberta’s NDP says it promises Albertans that if elected to form the next government, the UCP’s K-6 curriculum will be scrapped.

The NDP’s Education Critic, Sarah Hoffman, is doubtful as to whether Education Minister Adriana LaGrange actually listened to the feedback of Albertans.

“If that was the case, then the entire K-6 rewrite would have been put in a trash and we wouldn’t see it being forced on schools in September.”

She adds that parents, teachers, trustees, academics, racialized Albertans, Francophones, and Indigenous leaders have repeatedly called on the UCP government to scrap their widely discredited K-6 curriculum rewrite.

“Alberta students deserve to learn from a modern, inclusive curriculum. Families deserve a government they can trust and have confidence that teachers, cultural leaders, academic leaders and employers are fully involved in a curriculum students are expected to learn.

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“Educators have told the UCP that this curriculum is not worthy of Alberta’s students. That the quality is not good enough and it is going to set Alberta education and the students who receive that education back 50 years or more,” Hoffman said.

“I want to speak directly to parents, teachers, trustees, and every Albertan who is appalled with this curriculum. Do not despair. There is hope.”

“An election is coming and, clearly, the only way to truly have a curriculum Albertans can have confidence in is to change the government. Albertans have the power to elect a government they can trust.

Minister LaGrange, on the other hand, says the updated curriculums for K-6 classrooms are “critical starting points that will set students on the best path for success.”

“We heard what Albertans and education system partners told us and, with their insight, we updated Mathematics and English Language Arts and Literature to make sure our youngest students have the literacy and numeracy skills essential for early years learning.”

LaGrange added that, “the Physical Education and Wellness curriculum fulfills our platform commitments of ensuring all elementary school students learn the importance of obtaining and providing consent as well as fundamental financial literacy skills.”

READ MORE: Three subjects in province’s new K-6 curriculum ready for classrooms in September

Meanwhile, the Alberta Teachers Association (ATA) is urging LaGrange to release all commentary collected by the government over the past year before teachers will have confidence their concerns were meaningfully considered and addressed.

ATA President Jason Schilling says LaGrange continues to hide the feedback the government received from teachers and parents on the previous draft.

“Teachers don’t trust this minister to take their concerns seriously. This government has a steady track record of putting in their earplugs and dismissing the legitimate concerns of teachers.”

“We know that hundreds of teachers, academics, parents and others have criticized the content and direction of the previous draft directly to the minister and through the very limited dialogue she has permitted to take place. But Albertans don’t know if today’s version of the curriculum incorporates that feedback or, instead, continues to reflect the political and ideological interference that has plagued this process so far,” added Schilling.

Schilling says the ATA will now undertake comprehensive strategies to hear from teachers about the content of the latest draft released on April 13. The organization says it is establishing an online feedback portal where teachers can comment on the revisions.

In May, teacher leaders from nine of the ATA’s subject area specialist councils are expected to meet to more fully discuss the content of the curriculum and the road ahead related to implementation.

“In previous surveys and engagements teachers overwhelmingly told us that the draft curriculum was not suitable for use in classrooms,” said Schilling. “93 per cent of teachers were unhappy with the draft and 94 per cent of school leaders were uncomfortable with it being implemented in their schools. We will have to hear now from teachers on whether today’s version alleviates their concerns, but if past practice and attitudes from government prevail, then I’m not optimistic.”

Regardless of the content, Schilling says teachers are not prepared for implementation in September.

A recent survey from Environics Research is said to have found that only three per cent of teachers believe they have the supports and resources they require to successfully implement the curriculum this fall.

Schilling says that with only weeks left in the school year, there is no way that teachers, without any resources developed or supports already in place, can successfully plan instruction in multiple subjects by September.