Alberta Education Minister not worried about school boards refusing to test draft K-6 curriculum

Minister not worried about curriculum angst Alberta's education minister says she is not concerned about multiple school boards refusing to test the new draft K-6 curriculum this fall.

EDMONTON — The education minister says she is not concerned about multiple school boards refusing to test the new draft kindergarten to grade six curriculum.

Education Minister Adriana LaGrange made the remarks Saturday when asked during a media availability after announcing a rapid COVID-19 testing program in Alberta schools. LaGrange was asked if she was worried about the growing pushback against the curriculum.

READ MORE: Junior and senior high schools to receive rapid COVID-19 testing in Calgary, Edmonton, Lethbridge, and Grande Prairie 

The Calgary Board of Education, Alberta’s largest school board, was the latest to announce it will not pilot the new curriculum.

Edmonton’s two school boards have also declined.

LaGrange says they’ve given school boards the ability to pilot the entire curriculum, one grade, or just a single subject.

“We have said we will work with you, we will be flexible,” she added. “Now it’s in their ball court as to whether they choose to pilot or not.”

She added that those who do not participate in the curriculum could be missing an opportunity for valuable feedback.

“What we find is that those school divisions that are going to pilot it, they will be able to provide us that rich feedback,” LaGrange said. “The actual rich feedback that we will get from teachers on the ground actually putting it into practice will be indispensable to us.”

“The ones that choose to pilot will be leaders,” LaGrange said. "They will be able to give us that rich feedback we are searching for."

READ MORE: 91 per cent of Alta. teachers unhappy with new draft curriculum: ATA survey

Many critics and parents have taken issue with multiple aspects of the curriculum, including the lack of mention of Indigenous and LGBTQ+ issues and some materials they feel are not age appropriate.

READ MORE: 'Faulty and incomplete': Treaty Six Chiefs, Alberta Metis demand UCP rewrite new curriculum 

11 school boards have announced they will not pilot the curriculum including:

Sarah Hoffman, NDP critic for education, said in a statement that the curriculum not prepare students adequately for further education and future careers.

“More than 10, including three of the province’s four largest school boards, have now taken a stand against the premier’s plan for educating Alberta children,” Hoffman said.

“I hope the government will finally listen to the people of this province and put an immediate halt to the curriculum pilots. Kids deserve better.”