The province wants to change how it delivers education to high school students. Starting in September, schools throughout the Anglophone School District will offer course selection to Grade 9 and 10 students.
Previously, only Grades 11 and 12 could choose most of their courses throughout New Brunswick schools. Students select their chosen courses for the selected portion of the year.
The changes open the doors to all high school students having that option.
Teachers throughout the province have longed for the move after what they called “years” of lack of changes to the system. They say this will help modernize that system.
“The system needs to react to the students of today,” said Connie Keating with the New Brunswick Teachers’ Association.
“Basically they’re sitting in a classroom that was set up many years ago for a different student.”
The province is rolling out the changes in an effort to engage more students in their studies throughout the system. It said engagement rates throughout the province were low among high school students, and the plan is aimed at curbing that.
It said students have been asking for more choices in course selection throughout the province in hopes of using some of the new courses toward their graduation.
Each school can choose what courses will or will not be offered in the school, with core courses intact.
“The door is going to be much more open for students,” said Andrew Culberson, a Department of Education and Early Childhood Development learning specialist.
“We’ve heard from students and parents — kids are excited. They’re excited that they’ll have more choices and to have more pathways earlier.”
That increase in selection brings an increase in scheduling. According to New Brunswick Teachers Association, they’ve been fielding calls with concerned school administration, who are worried about the time allocated to the increase in scheduling.
They’re worried that time won’t be made available in time to get students their schedules.
“The big question I’ve been receiving from school administrators is where would the time come to do the significant scheduling needed?” Keating said in an interview with Global News.
“If we look at really large high schools in particular, 2,000 students have individual schedules, and that will take a lot of juggling to figure out.”
The changes come into effect this September.