Today, Alberta Minister of Education Adrianna LaGrange held a press conference outlining the next steps for the draft K to 6 curriculum in the province.

The province is undertaking a review of the Kindergarten to Grade 12 curriculum over the next few years, starting with K to Grade 6 education.

“We have heard your thoughtful and insightful feedback to strengthen Alberta’s K to 6 draft curriculum and I'm here today to announce substantive changes to our new K to 6 draft curriculum based on that very feedback,” said LaGrange.

The province will now slow down the implementation of the new curriculum. The plan was to have all elementary students learning from the new curriculum in 2022-23.

The Education Minister said, “But we have heard loud and clear from teachers that this was simply not possible due to the workload and resource constraints. Instead, we will phase in critical curriculum implementation by staggering subjects starting this fall with three key subjects. English Language Arts and Literature, Mathematics and Physical education and Wellness.”

“Focusing on these subjects will benefit students by targeting foundational reading, writing, and numeracy skills that may have been affected due to the learning disruptions caused by the pandemic.”

The issue of the draft curriculum has been hotly contested in the province. It was unveiled in March 2021. It was revealed that about two per cent of all K to 6 students were completing the pilot. LaGrange also addressed calls to delay the implementation of the curriculum entirely.

“I believe that that would not be in the best interest of our students,” she said.

“We know that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all students in Alberta, especially our early learners, in Kindergarten to Grade 6, which is why it's crucial to address learning challenges in the early stages of a child development,” LaGrange said.

According to the province, the draft curriculum is designed to improve student outcomes across all subjects, following several years of declining and stagnant student performance.

Teachers have been piloting the curriculum throughout the 2021-22 school year.

There will also be the development of an advisory committee on implementation to provide advice to government on the initial 3 subjects for the 2022-23 school year. The committee will also consider longer-term implementation timelines and sequencing of other subjects.

She revealed that most of the feedback the province has received relates to the Social Studies curriculum.

The province will release a K to 6 Social Studies Draft Blueprint, which will outline the revised plan for the K to 6 Social Studies based on feedback received to date.

Th Education Minister says that the blueprint covers concerns about diversity, inclusivity, and biased language.

Students will still learn about history, geography, economics, government and political systems and civics and citizenship. There will be emphasis on First Nations, Metis and Inuit histories, and francophone perspectives, as well as different cultures and religions.

On top of the changes to the Social Studies curriculum, there will also be content changes in English Language Arts and Literature, Music within the Fine Arts curriculum, Physical Education and Wellness and Science. LaGrange also revealed that the piloting of the draft curriculum for Grade 7 to 10 will not take place next school year.

To look at this round of changes to the draft curriculum visit alberta.ca/curriculum.