'This should be unacceptable': ATA says class sizes too large, students lacking support
A recent survey suggests class sizes in the province are too high, and teachers believe some students are being left without the support they need to succeed.
The Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA) says public school staff and students continue to struggle with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, inadequate funding and decreased support from government.
"Teachers and school leaders report students below grade level, students struggling with social emotional needs and many other mental health challenges," said Jason Schilling, ATA president.
"On our latest survey, one teacher even commented, 'I feel more like a social worker or counsellor than a teacher.'"
Schilling said 85 per cent of teachers surveyed are seeing an increase in classroom complexity, with more students needing social, emotional, cognitive or behavioural support.
Additionally, more than half of survey participants reported long timelines for wrap-around services, he said, with some students waiting six months to a year for help with speech and language, occupational or physical therapy, and psychosocial education assessments.
"This means that we will have students in our classrooms, who end up going without the support they need to be successful for an entire school year," Schilling said. "This should be unacceptable to government, school boards and parents."
Class sizes are also an issue.
Of the almost 1,100 teachers surveyed between Sept. 29 to Oct. 11, 40 per cent said they have more than 33 students in their classes, with the largest class sizes seen in Grades 4 to 6.
In 2003, the Alberta Commission on Learning set out the following guidelines for class sizes: 23 students for Grade 4 to Grade 6, 25 for junior high and no more than 27 for high school.
The survey was the seventh of an ongoing research study on the impacts of the pandemic and curriculum implementation in Alberta.
Education Minister, Adriana LaGrange said $110 million has been allocated in the 2022 budget to address mental health impacts, access to assessments and learning disruptions.
In addition to that, she said the government has also doubled available funding to mental health and wellness pilots across the province.
'We are also working closely with school boards to alleviate the pressures on teachers by addressing enrollment growth, pandemic learning disruptions, class complexity and access to behavioral assessments," LaGrange said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.