New Alberta middle school curriculum coming in math, social studies and wellness

Alberta junior high students will be learning from new math, social studies and physical education and wellness curricula by the fall of 2026, the provincial government says.

Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides also says he's considering whether some topics covered in the high school career and life management (CALM) course should move into junior high.

That move could be a result of an ongoing review of the three-credit CALM course, which is mandatory for graduation and often taught in Grade 11.

"Can we make refinements to career and life management or, are there other ways in which career education can be brought into the curriculum?" Nicolaides said in a Thursday interview.

CALM topics, such as making wise life decisions, sexual health education, household management and career development skills could extend into junior high, or require more credits to complete, Nicolaides said.

The minister said high school students on his Minister's Youth Council said that they don't consider CALM classes valuable.

Revamping curriculum in the junior high grades is a continuation of a long-running overhaul of Alberta's program of studies, which spells out what objectives students must achieve in each subject and grade. The process is happening in English and French simultaneously.

K-12 curriculum revamp ongoing

Overseen at various phases by three different governments with differing philosophies, the process became a political football.

The government first mandated new curriculum in the elementary school grades in English, math and physical education and wellness in fall 2022.

The province has since mandated new programs in elementary French language arts and science. Students at more than 500 schools are also piloting parts of a new elementary social studies curriculum.

Although Nicolaides has said all new elementary subjects would be introduced before curriculum writers turned their attention to middle school, he has no date yet for revamping elementary fine arts curriculum.

Elementary school drama, music, dance and art was developed in the 1980s and is the oldest curriculum.

"We'll probably have to defer it to a later date," he said. "We do want to get that one developed as well because it is quite old."

He said he chose to move forward with math, social studies and phys ed and wellness to create continuity for current elementary students moving into junior high. The government's priority is career preparation and development, he said, and the education ministry only has the capacity to revamp so many subjects at once.

This month, the education ministry will take early drafts of the Grade 7-9 math and social studies and Grade 7-10 phys ed and wellness curricula and consult with school board trustees, superintendents, First Nations education directors and "subject matter experts," according to a government news release.

The government has also asked the Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA) to nominate teachers to review the drafts. Those teachers will be asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement, according to the association.

Nicolaides said in an email each subject will have a consultation group of up to 20 teachers, at least one of whom will be nominated by the ATA.

Many teachers have said they did not have enough input into the new elementary school curriculum, or that their feedback was not reflected in the final product.

The government wants the new junior high drafts to be ready for pilot testing during the 2025-26 school year, and mandated for all students the following year.

ATA says elementary math struggles persist

ATA president Jason Schilling said in an interview the new elementary math curriculum contains concepts that were previously covered in junior high grades, so it's logical to rework those requirements.

However, he says teachers find students are struggling with the more advanced math concepts moved to earlier grades, and the government should address this problem first.

"The courses become harder and harder and students feel less successful," Schilling said. "That's not what teachers want for their kids."

Proceeding with junior high social studies is "more of a political push, an ideological push that's there, instead of necessarily looking at what's best for kids," Schilling said.

Social studies has been among the most controversial overhauls, and elementary teachers are still testing the new elementary curriculum this year.

In addition to the stress of crowded urban and suburban classrooms and schools stretching limited education funding to accommodate more students, teachers say they struggle to find resources for some of the new curriculum that's already mandatory, Schilling said.

In restructuring CALM, Schilling is watching to see how the government crafts human sexuality outcomes given recent legislation requiring parents and guardians to opt students into those lessons.

Elementary school teachers are also waiting for new Grade 6 provincial achievement tests to be developed that match the new curriculum. Nicolaides said he couldn't yet say whether those exams will be ready in time for May and June 2025.

He also said he doesn't have a deadline to revamp all grades and subjects:

"I do recognize that we don't want to put too much on people's plates, but at the same time, we don't want to have a process that drags out for too long, and student learning suffers as a result."