On March 29, 2021, Alberta Education revealed their Draft K-6 curriculum in a news release; Renewing focus on essential knowledge and skills. Even though most Pembina Hills School Division teachers and staff were on spring break at this time, the announcement drew considerable attention. Like others in the province, our educators have been anticipating an announcement for some time. The response on both traditional news media and social media has been active to say the least. Some boards in the province have stated publicly that they will not be piloting the curriculum. 

What is PHSD planning to do?

Over the next couple of weeks, senior administration will analyze the draft curriculum and will gather feedback from PHSD teachers and principals. Our recommendation to the board regarding any immediate action will come after considering these perspectives. This recommendation will be presented to the board at their regular meeting on April 28, 2021.

Responding to the Draft Curriculum

The draft released last month will be under review for about 12 months. Piloting of the draft by school divisions is completely voluntary. PHSD is committed to a careful examination of the learning outcomes and expectations in the draft curriculum before we are obligated to implement the final version. Parents and the public are invited to provide feedback to the Ministry through the survey links on the Alberta Education website.

• The Alberta Education Curriculum Development page describes how the process has unfolded and the steps yet to come.  
• The Draft K-6 Curriculum – Overview page provides the highlights, including links to the curriculum documents and information on how to have your say. 

Pembina Hills will provide an update after the April 28th board meeting.