New K to 6 curriculum to prepare students for the future

As the Minister of Education, my commitment has always been to put the best curriculum possible in front of our students. It is critically important – now more than ever – that we update Alberta’s decades-old curriculum to give students a stronger foundation for a successful future. That is why, we are moving forward with the release of final curriculum in 3 K to 6 subjects and providing learning and teaching resources to support teachers as they prepare to teach new curriculum in the classroom.

Based on advice from education system leaders, teachers and curriculum experts within the Curriculum Implementation Advisory Group, this September, students will be learning from new curriculum in:

• K to 3 Mathematics
• K to 3 English Language Arts and Literature
• K to 6 Physical Education and Wellness

To reflect engagement and piloting feedback, content changes were made across the 3 K to 6 subjects, including updates to address some identified instances of excessive content load, age appropriateness, wording clarity and First Nations, Métis and Inuit content. The updated curriculum is also aligned with top-performing jurisdictions, both within Canada and internationally, and those with knowledge-rich curriculums. I encourage Albertans to explore the final curriculum in detail, including specific changes at alberta.ca/curriculum.

We want this process to be as successful and practical as possible for elementary teachers who will be introducing the 3 new curriculums this September. In addition to $59 million in funding for teacher professional learning and learning and teaching resources this year, we have provided a variety of comprehensive supports for teachers on new.LearnAlberta.ca.

We will continue to take a balanced and measured approach to piloting and implementing the remaining draft K to 6 subjects, based on expert advice from the Curriculum Implementation Advisory Group.

As the new K to 6 curriculum is finalized, it will be implemented in 3 phases, with phase one beginning in the 2022/23 school year. By September 2024, it is anticipated that all K to 6 grades and subjects will be implemented. More information on curriculum implementation, further piloting of some subjects and engagement will be available on alberta.ca/curriculum as details become available.

As always, I am eager to hear your valuable thoughts, perspectives and questions as we continue our work to deliver an updated curriculum that prepares our students for the future. On Wednesday, April 20 at 6:30 pm, I will be hosting a Telephone Town Hall for parents to discuss the K to 6 curriculum renewal, as well as other initiatives within Alberta’s education system. Interested Albertans can pre-register online at Education Telephone Town Hall.

I look forward to the next steps in Alberta’s K to 6 curriculum renewal process. Since day one, parents have been clear that they expect our education system to provide a strong foundation of essential knowledge and skills, and that is exactly what our government is delivering. Next school year, this new curriculum will set elementary students on a path to success – in the classroom and beyond.