Red Deer Public Schools had decided that they will not be piloting the United Conservative Government’s K-6 curriculum.

“The new curriculum is over 500 pages long with many of the pages containing outcomes and objectives that are sound, providing the knowledge, skills and perspectives that students need. Some of the pages however, have raised issues, some of them significant, particularly on segments of the Social Studies curriculum. We concur with many of those concerns,” the school division noted in a release.

The school division would like to see a curriculum that is a little more modernized to fit the needs of the current world.

“Ultimately, the curriculum belongs to all Albertans and it should reflect the hopes and aspirations we have for our students who are the future of this province. What will students need in an ever changing world...curriculum fills those needs. The content and way many of us learned in the past is not what today's students will need to be prepared for the future. Every student needs to be equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes that will enable them to create their future,” it reads in a release.

The school division has noted that the coming year will be focused on recovery from the challenges faced during the last two school years that saw the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the meantime, the school division will be providing meaningful contributions and feedback on the pilot curriculum. Additionally, they will be preparing teachers and staff for the new curriculum’s eventual implementation.

The School Division hopes to see greater consideration go into curriculum being developed for Grades 7 to 12. The school division would like to see politics removed from the process of creating a new curriculum.

“Whether it is this or past governments, politics seems to influence the process. Albertans must have confidence in the curriculum development process. We feel it would be beneficial for this to be an independent process that engages the best minds and takes a broad perspective on what critical skills and knowledge all students will need to succeed. This in turn will allow Alberta to be the best it can be for years to come,” it says in the release.

You can view the K-6 here and provide input here. 

This article was written with files from Red Deer Public Schools.