Alberta Education announces new engagement sessions on draft K-6 curriculum

The provincial government will be holding virtual sessions over the next month to gather input on its proposed K-6 curriculum.

Alberta Education said the current public health measures mean online forums make the most sense, after in-person engagement sessions were postponed last fall.

“Alberta’s government promised a year-long consultation process with multiple ways to provide feedback on the draft K-6 curriculum,” said Education Minister Adrian LaGrange.

“These new sessions will enable Albertans to have focused conversations and share specific, constructive feedback on the draft blueprint and subjects they are interested in. I encourage Albertans to participate and have their say. The steps we are taking now to listen to additional input will help ensure our elementary students are learning from the best curriculum possible.”

The sessions come after the province announced in December the decision to delay full implementation of its proposed curriculum for kindergarten to Grade 6 after fierce opposition from some teachers and students.

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LaGrange said in December the curriculum for social studies, French immersion and francophone language arts, science and fine arts will be delayed, because feedback indicated “some Albertans feel the draft content has students learning too much, too soon and too quickly.”

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The virtual sessions will be held from Jan. 31 to Feb. 28 across all five regions: north, Edmonton and surrounding area, central, Calgary and surrounding area, and south.

The province said the regional sessions will enable communities to share local insights and unique perspectives on the draft.

During each session, the draft K-6 social studies design blueprint or one draft K-6 subject will be considered and discussed so Albertans can provide insightful feedback.

Albertans can sign up for notifications about upcoming engagements and register for sessions at alberta.ca/curriculum-have-your-say.aspx.

The input will be used to finalize the social studies design blueprint, develop the corresponding draft social studies curriculum and further revise all subjects in the draft K-6 curriculum.