RDCRS decision not to pilot Draft K-6 Curriculum

On March 29, 2021, the Alberta Government, through the Ministry of Education, shared the draft Kindergarten to Grade 6 Curriculum. Prior to making a decision, our Division chose to solicit feedback from teachers in the field, as they are the ones who know our students and how they learn best. 

During the April 27 Regular Board Meeting, the Red Deer Catholic Schools (RDCRS) Board of Trustees voted to opt-out of piloting the draft Kindergarten to Grade 6 Curriculum this fall. 

Through a series of nine virtual feedback sessions, teachers were given an opportunity to voice what they liked about the curriculum as well as their concerns and solutions moving forward. This feedback platform was organized in such a way that teachers were able to give specific examples of the learners in their classrooms and connect those examples to the concerns they shared with the objectives outlined in the draft curriculum. This added to the richness of the feedback sessions. As expected, the level of professionalism throughout the feedback sessions was exceptional and it was evident that our teachers clearly have their students' best interests at heart. 

The overall themes presented in the feedback from teachers, as well as concerns shared by students and parents, specifically pertained to the age and developmental appropriateness of the content, the heavy academic language related to curricular objectives, as well as the proposed timing of the roll-out of this curriculum during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The feedback that we have solicited, along with an upcoming comprehensive review of the draft curriculum from the Division level, will be sent to Alberta Education to help guide revisions and recommendations moving forward related to the curriculum. The highlights from the feedback sessions can be viewed here. 

The focus of the Division in the fall will continue to be on the mental wellness of students, staff and families, as well as learning progressions and post-pandemic recovery in schools.

Staff, parents/guardians and community members are encouraged to provide their feedback to Alberta Education here. The draft Kindergarten to Grade 6 curriculum can be found here.