Welcome End Students to Alberta Education Corp - Our Response to Curriculum Review Panel

Support Our Students Alberta Foundation, as a public education advocacy organization, and a citizens action group has several concerns regarding the Ministry of Education Curriculum Panel Review as released January 29, 2020.
General Concerns:
Minister Adriana LaGrange indicated that the Ministry has listened to Alberta parents. 

• SOS Alberta has held an online letter writing campaign since late October. 
  
• More than 6000 emails have been sent to Minster LaGrange
  
•  Virtually no response has been received from the Minister’s office or MLAs by SOS Champions.
  
• The emails outlined concerns about the choice in education survey and the budget cuts.
  

Minister Lagrange evaded almost every pressing question about the details of the report, by deflecting to the statement, “these are simply recommendations.” 

• Considering the time and energy spent on this initiative, Albertans expect some concrete answers to specific questions about the recommendations.  
  
• Alberta’s children have been operating with insufficient funds, and outdated curriculum during this time. 
  

Minister LaGrange stated “Climate change is real, but we want to present it in a balanced way”.

• Unable to provide clarification on what balances out fact?
  
• How will this apply to other widely accepted facts like evolution? Vaccines? Roundness of the earth? 
  
• What do we balance fact with? 
  
• This is a concerning approach to education.
  

While we have concerns with the entire document, here are a few specific concerns: 

Recommendation 9
Provide students with opportunities to learn outside the classroom, including experiences with elements of the workforce and community involvement. There is value in exposing students to experiences outside the classroom that can build awareness and opportunities on the variety of career paths and choices available to them. Learning is strengthened when students learn in the context of real-world experience and work. Curriculum can be delivered in many ways beyond the classroom context, including in workplaces and employment settings. Curriculum should be flexible to deal with alternative skills models outside the classroom. 

9.1 Undertake an examination of curriculum that can be delivered in a dual structure, similar to the Germanic Model, exploring the definition of skilled trades and how students acquire these skills 
9.2 Expose students to practical work and learning outside the classroom, including participating in volunteer activities that engage students and benefit local communities.
SOS Interpretation: 

• This is code for more online learning, moving children into ‘the workforce’.
  
• Different name for academic streaming. 
  
• Also runs completely contrary to Recommendation 3, to eliminate academic streaming.
  

Recommendations 17.2, 17.5
17.2 Implement a systematic approach that uses standardized formative assessment tools in the evaluation of literacy and numeracy, in grades 1 through grade 5. These can identify where students may require additional support and enable the use of appropriate interventions at the earliest possible stages”
17.5 Explore other ways that standardized testing can be used to ensure public confidence.
SOS Interpretation: 

• This is simply code for ongoing standardized testing. 
  
• Starting standardized testing at even even younger age, Grade 1.
  
• Way to circumvent reintroducing grade 3 PAT
  
• Using a testing regime as a tool to measure a system, teachers under guise of accountability.
  

Repeated References:

• “Create opportunities to bring the needs of Alberta’s employers into the curriculum development process”.
  
• “Importance of Alberta’s resource-rich economic base in relation to the impact on the economy” 
  
• “with respect to Alberta’s economic system, entrepreneurship, the world of work, and the roles and jobs of members of the community”
  
• “ With the end student in mind”
  
  SOS Interpretation:  
  
• Hyper focus on the economy, work related skills, and terminology like “End Student”, these are not the goals of public education. 
  
• This language commodifies education and gives impression K-12 is an assembly line and children are the final product. 
  
• Schools are not factories.
  
• This is a concerning approach to have for public education 
  
• This government seems both unwilling and unable to diversify Alberta’s current economy, how can we then have faith in their ability to design a system that is 2033 ready. 
  

SOS Alberta continues to advocate for a universal, accessible and equitable public education system in Alberta. It is our position that this panel review does not move us in that direction. We have many concerns about the effects these recommendations will have for Alberta’s students for years to come if implemented.. 
We urge Minister Lagrange to hold open consultation with Alberta citizens in ways that are more open and transparent than online surveys. As an organization we have already FOIP’d the Choice in Education Survey which is proving a large barrier to public information.