Alberta to introduce new curriculum for French, science next school year
Alberta schools will use new curricula for a number of subjects in September, the provincial government announced on Friday.
Students from kindergarten to Grade 3 will be taught new French first language and literature, French immersion language arts and literature, and science programming.
School authorities have the option to apply the new curriculum for these subjects in Grades 4 to 6, the government added.
"To ensure successful implementation, we are making significant investments to provide teachers with the resources they need to support students in transitioning to the new curriculum," Education Minister Adriana LaGrange said.
The province will invest around $47 million on resources for students and teachers to support them through the implementation.
This school year, 941 teachers and 22,000 students across 47 school boards piloted the draft curriculum.
"They wanted the curriculum, the new curriculum in the hands of teachers sooner and last year we were able to put it out in April," LaGrange told reporters. "That's why we wanted to get it out in March this year, so they have that additional time to work with it."
"My understanding is it is going quite well, I’m sure that there are on occasion areas where it could be improved and we continually look to improve that."
CURRICULUM TIMELINE
Students in Grades 4 to 6 will also be taught the new curriculum for English and math this fall after it was delayed by a year.
The Alberta government announced the timeline for its new K-6 curriculum on Wednesday. (CTV News Edmonton)
In 2021, the education minister pushed back the new curriculum for social studies, fine arts and science — the subjects that faced the most criticism.
The Alberta Teachers' Association has been concerned about the rollout of the new curriculum, often saying teachers don't support it or don't have time to prepare for it due to an "already stressed system."
"The curriculum implementation currently under way has been rushed and, as a result, is not going well," ATA President Jason Schilling said in a release on Friday. "Rather than addressing those needs, the government wants to further increase the burden on our schools by introducing new curriculum to even more grades and subject areas in an already stressed environment.”
The NDP called the curriculum implementation a "gong show" on Friday.
"While there are parts of it that we think we may be able to salvage, the government has got it wrong and should not be moving ahead with any new curriculum," said Sarah Hoffman, the opposition's education critic.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.