The Alberta government is currently planning for the piloting (2021) and implementation (2022) of curriculum across six subject areas for all grades K – 6. This exercise has become fodder for a significant amount of political discourse that is at times misinformed. Alberta’s education system is better served by thoughtful and reasoned discussion on curriculum that avoids over-politicization.
Candidates should be able to demonstrate an understanding of the appropriate roles for teachers, the Association and for school boards and trustees in the curriculum development and implementation process. They should be asked about the extent to which provincial curriculum should leave room for local outcomes and what priorities the school board would have for locally developed curriculum. Candidates should also be able to discuss the differences between curriculum and teaching methodology, while speaking to the extent to which school boards should direct teaching practice in their schools.
Student assessment describes the processes used to determine and report on the extent to which students have obtained learning outcomes.
Teachers do assessment in a variety of ways:
- performances
- observations
- journals
- projects
- testing
School boards set policies and establish programs that outline how teachers should carry out assessment and report student progress. The Alberta Teachers’ Association believes that good classroom assessment should support and enhance learning and that a teacher’s professional judgment is the best indicator of how students are doing in school.
Voters should ask trustee candidates their opinion about curriculum implementation, assessment, standardized testing and grading.