Career and Life Management (CALM) may be taken by senior high school students in their Grade 10, Grade 11 or Grade 12 year. Principals may wish to consider the option of having students take CALM in either their Grade 10 or Grade 12 year, if students plan to take three sciences as well as a Fine Arts or Career and Technology Studies (CTS) course in Grade 11.
Partial Exemption from CALM
Section 58.1 of the Education Act requires boards (including public charter schools) and private schools to provide parents with notice where courses of study, educational programs or instructional materials, or instruction or exercises, include subject matter that deals primarily and explicitly with religion or human sexuality. Where a parent makes a written request, a student shall be exempt, without academic penalty, from such instruction, course of study, educational program or use of instructional materials. See Notice Under Section 58.1 of the Education Act.
Exemption from CALM
Principals can exempt students from CALM when students transfer from out-of-province into Alberta schools in Grade 12. For the purpose of this exemption, a Grade 12 student is defined as one who is expected to graduate in the school year the student transfers into an Alberta school. In this case, the principal exempts the student and submits the exemption into PASI. The exemption should be submitted at the time it is granted. If the student does not graduate, the exemption is not removed automatically. It is at the principal’s discretion whether to remove the exemption or allow it to remain.
For more information, see Grade 12 Exemptions for Transfer‑in Students, Mature Students or the Career and Life Management Program of Studies.
Students can also be exempted completely from CALM because of religious beliefs. In this case, parents must write to the Minister of Education to request the exemption. It is essential to the processing of the request to include the following information about the student in the letter to the Minister of Education:
- complete surname and given names
- date of birth
- school currently attending
- Alberta Student Number
If the minister approves the exemption based on religious beliefs, Field Services will write a letter to the parents on the minister’s behalf. A copy of this letter is sent to the school principal and Student Records. Upon receipt of this letter, the principal will submit the exemption into PASI.
For further information, contact Field Services.