Expanded standardized testing for Alberta elementary students earns a failing grade from teachers
The Alberta government is increasing the number of mathematics and reading assessments elementary students will take each year – a move some teachers say is unneeded and unwanted.
The changes, recently emailed to school boards, will begin in the fall and include new standardized testing for children in kindergarten to Grade 3.
Students in grades 1-3 will now be assessed in September and January, with an additional June test for children "receiving extra support."
For the first time in Alberta, kindergarten students will be tested every January starting in 2025.
The Alberta Teachers Association (ATA) held a press conference Thursday to express disappointment with the decision.
"Students as young as five will now be subjected to provincial standardized testing," said president Jason Schilling. "By the time a student leaves elementary school, they will have written as many as 32 standardized exams, up from 10 tests previously."
Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said the assessments are low intensity and won't affect childrens' grades. He said the tests are meant to help identify which students may be falling behind.
"Literacy and numeracy are the foundations of academic success, of school success and of life success," Nicolaides said. "If we don't get those fundamentals right in those early years, students can struggle."
While the province said the new assessment framework was developed with input from the ATA and other school authorities and academic experts, it doesn't align with what teachers really need, Schilling said.
"This is not what the experts at educational research would suggest," he added. "And it's clear they did not listen to what actual classroom teachers had to say."
Westlock elementary teacher Jenna Thompson said she and her colleagues are already feeling the strain of large class sizes, increasingly complex student needs and the launch of a new curriculum. More tests, she said, will only add more stress.
"I think it's a waste of funding," she said.
Schilling said the new testing is unnecessary and will take away from teaching hours.
"Teachers don’t need a test to identify which students are struggling; they need smaller classes and more support to get those kids additional help," Schilling said.
"Teachers have been crying out for a reduction in class size that would allow them to provide more individual attention to their students," he continued. "Instead, we get this: More measurement, less investment."
The new framework also includes new screening requirements for Grade 4 and 5 students, which will roll out in 2026.
Nicolaides said $10 million has been set aside in the 2024 budget to help with the expanded assessments.
The ATA promotes and advances public education and supports teachers' professional practice for its 46,000 members from across Alberta public and Catholic schools.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Chelan Skulski
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.7011538.1724408730!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
DEVELOPING Teamsters take down picket lines at CN, stoppage continues at CPKC
The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference says it has taken down picket lines at Canadian National Railway Co. and its workers will begin returning to work on Friday.
Loblaw piloting ultra-discount No Name grocery stores in Ontario
Loblaw is piloting a new ultra-discount grocery store in Ontario that promises to deliver even lower prices by stripping away even more frills.
Ontario woman thought she spent $39 on theatre tickets. She didn't. Here's what happened
An Ontario woman paid seven times more for her theatre tickets than she thought she did. 'I was shocked. I had no idea the tickets were going to cost that much.'
Body of last missing person, tech billionaire's daughter, retrieved from yacht wreck
Italian divers have retrieved the body of British tech magnate Mike Lynch's 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, who was the last person still unaccounted for after the family's luxury yacht sank this week off Sicily.
Number of people receiving EI up more than 10 per cent in past year: StatCan
Almost 474,000 people are receiving regular employment insurance in Canada, according to the latest data, which is a 10 per cent increase compared to the same time last year.
An Iceland volcano erupts again but spares the nearby town of Grindavik for now
Lava continued to spew from a volcano in southwestern Iceland on Friday — the sixth time since December the volcano has erupted on the Reykjanes Peninsula.
German warship blasts Darth Vader anthem in heart of London. 'No deeper message,' navy says
Germany's navy says there was 'no deeper message' in the choice to blast the famed Imperial March, Darth Vader's theme song in the 'Star Wars' films, from one of its warships as it cruised down the River Thames through London this week.
Windsor Spitfires welcome Keanu Reeves to its roster
An infamously wholesome Canadian star is in Windsor, and is living up to his reputation.
With mukbangs increasing in popularity, dietitians worry about this internet trend
As mukbangs grow in popularity, dietitians are expressing concern about the potential impact of this trend on its audience.