Newsroom

May 13, 2013
Government ensures stability for Alberta students
Alberta is ensuring that families will continue to enjoy stability in the province’s classrooms by introducing legislation that will extend the four-year deal negotiated with the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) to all the province’s teachers and school boards.

To date, the majority of boards and ATA locals - representing almost half a million Alberta students - have agreed to adopt the deal, which freezes teacher salaries for three years and ensures boards can devote as much funding as possible to Alberta’s classrooms.

May 13, 2013
Minister hopeful teacher deal can be reached by deadline
Education Minister Jeff Johnson remains confident a provincewide labour agreement between Alberta’s 62 school boards and their teachers can be reached before tonight’s ratification deadline.

Almost all school jurisdictions and ATA locals representing 95 per cent of Alberta’s 600,000 students have accepted the tentative pact.

May 09, 2013
Alberta empowers more students to succeed
Alberta is giving teachers more tools to help students succeed by introducing new, more student-friendly assessments that will replace the existing Provincial Achievement Tests (PATs).

The tests maintain a strong focus on literacy and numeracy, but will also help educators and parents understand how well students demonstrate competencies such as creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving.

May 08, 2013
Flex approach to high school learning
More than 100 high schools will remove the standard requiring 25 hours of face-to-face instruction per course credit this coming school year.

“This is Inspiring Education in action,” said Education Minister Jeff Johnson. “We are rethinking and redesigning high school to provide flexibility for students and teachers. Linking credits to the time a kid spends sitting in a desk is too prescriptive for some high school students, especially those who don’t require the full 25 hours of face-to-face instruction to master the curriculum.”

May 07, 2013
Online diploma exams create more flexibility for students
Alberta students will soon be able to write their diploma exams in a digital format and have access to more exam sessions throughout the year.

Diploma exams will also be reviewed as provincial curriculum changes to focus on competencies and preparing young Albertans to be engaged thinkers and ethical citizens with an entrepreneurial spirit.

May 06, 2013
Alberta gives more students hands-on learning opportunities
The Redford government is giving more high school students the opportunity to pursue their academic and career interests by adding more dual credit courses across the province.

The Alberta government is investing more than $11 million over three years in the Provincial Dual Credit Strategy, which will allow more students to access dual credit opportunities.

May 03, 2013
Thousands of new spaces for Alberta students
Parents, students and community leaders are hailing the announcement of 30 new and modernized school projects across Alberta this week.

Premier Alison Redford, Education Minister Jeff Johnson and Infrastructure Minister Wayne Drysdale and their caucus colleagues announced more than 18,650 new student spaces in 19 Alberta communities.