Albertans are helping the Government of Alberta take another step toward modernizing the province's Kindergarten to Grade 12 curriculum.

Between May and June of last year, Alberta Education gathered feedback from residents through an online survey to find out what they thought was critical to giving students the skills and tools needed to be successful.

In total, the government received 9,692 responses with the majority, over 5,000 coming from K-12 teachers, administrators and other educators while the remainder came from students, partents, stakeholders and the general public.

John Bailey, Foothills School Division superintendent, says the response is a clear indication of the value Albertans hold for education in the province.

"We are happy the government continues to seek feedback from the broader community," he says.

"When there is that much interest and information that comes out of it, that helps give great direction for (the process)."

Although Bailey could not comment on responses from within the Foothills, as regional data was not available at the time of the publication, he's optimistic that any feedback gathered from Foothills stakeholders would be included in the process.

"We know that will help shape the curriculum and we're looking forward to seeing it," he adds.

Upon releasing the numbers in a Feb. 2 press release, the provincial government indicated the new curriculum will reflect survey feedback, current curriculum review and advanced research that includes investigations into other education systems among other mechanisms.

"It's clear that Albertans are passionate about making sure that students learn the skills they need to succeed in a fast-changing world," David Eggen, Alberta's minister of education, was quoted as saying in the release.

He noted government officials will continue listening to Albertans as they make "common-sense" alterations.

Back in June 2016, the government announced it would develop a new provincial curriculum over a six-year period to simultaneously revamp all subject areas in incremental phases starting with K-4, followed by Grades 5 to 8, then high school by 2022.

The updated curriculum will focus on reading, writing, and essential skills while covering the main subject areas of language arts, math, social studies and sciences along with wellness education.

For more information on the curriculum development visit the government's website.

 

Send us your news tips, story ideas and comments at news@highriveronline.com