The Holy Family Catholic Regional Division will not take part in piloting the new K-6 draft curriculum in its schools. Its Board of Trustees voted down the opportunity to pilot the draft curriculum at a meeting held earlier this week.
Chair Kelley Whalen says members of the board spent a lot of time “in discernment and reflection” before making the call. She adds they would like to see more teachers, staff, and administration involved on the ground level when it comes to potential changes to the document.
“Although we will not be participating in the pilot for the new draft curriculum, we would welcome the opportunity to have our teachers work collaboratively to continue to develop the curriculum.”
According to the province, the new K-6 learning plan focuses on four key themes – literacy, numeracy, citizenship, and practical skills – which are designed to improve student outcomes across all subjects and grades. However, the government has been widely criticized for the draft, with many asking why the curriculum doesn’t address serious Indigenous issues in all grades.
Subjects like treaties and residential schools are not introduced until grades 4 and 5 respectively, which counters the recommendation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that all grades, even Kindergarten, learn about those topics in some capacity.
As of April 23rd, the Grande Prairie Public School Division, Peace Wapiti Public School Division, and Grande Prairie and District Catholic Schools have not made a decision on whether they will pilot the curriculum, while Conseil scolaire du Nord-Ouest has said it won’t, noting the absence of the Francophone perspective in all subjects. School boards across Alberta have until May 7th to decide whether they will participate.