News Releases
August 31, 2005

School's in – keeping students on the road to success

New and continuing programs benefit Alberta's students

Edmonton... Classes will look a little different when students are back in school this fall. Updated curriculum, newly developed textbooks, and exciting new programs are just some of what Alberta Education has in store for students in a continuing effort to make Alberta's education system the best in the world.

Celebrating Alberta's Centennial
During this Centennial year, Alberta Education will fund, partner and/or develop more than 20 special centennial projects to engage and inform students and teachers about everything from science to music. Projects include student participation projects such as Song Writing Intensive and If Walls Could Speak. In addition, special edition brass Centennial medallions have been distributed to students through their schools. The Alberta Education Centennial website is the main hub for information, participation and connection for all of these projects: www.education.gov.ab.ca/centennial.

Resources for students, parents and teachers
An online back-to-school kit can be found on the Alberta Education website at www.education.gov.ab.ca. The kit contains links to important parent, teacher and student resources including:

  • the 2005-2006 school-year operating schedule;
  • information on planning educational and career paths, including apprenticeships;
  • homework and study tips; and
  • information on teaching resources and Alberta's curriculum.

Encouraging healthy lifestyles
The Alberta government recognizes the importance of healthy lifestyles to the well-being of young Albertans, especially given increasing over-weight and obesity rates among Canadians. Therefore, effective September 2005, Alberta Education will implement a mandatory requirement of 30 minutes per school-day of Daily Physical Activity (DPA) for all students in Grades 1 to 9. Local school jurisdictions will have flexibility in implementing the DPA Initiative in a way that fits their particular situation. For more information, visit www.education.gov.ab.ca/ipr/DailyPhysAct.asp.

A comprehensive look at Alberta's past
Starting this fall, Alberta Education is launching a new Social Studies curriculum in Kindergarten to Grade 3. The new curriculum puts an even greater focus on citizenship and identity, and features an increased concentration on Canadian and Alberta history. This is the beginning of a phased-in implementation plan that will see the revised curriculum taught at every grade level by 2010.

Bullying prevention
Last spring, government launched the first phase of a three-year, province-wide bullying prevention campaign to help communities take action against bullying. Students in Grades 1 to 6 are encouraged to visit www.teamheroes.ca, a website that helps children learn how to handle bullying through an online game. Teachers, parents and other members of the community are encouraged to visit www.bullyfreealberta.ca for information and resources about bullying prevention and intervention.

Smaller classes
With the addition of more teachers, the second year of our class size reduction initiative is on track to achieving Alberta's Commission on Learning class size guidelines, two years earlier than expected. More information on current class sizes can be found at www.education.gov.ab.ca/ipr/ClassSize.

Riding the information highway
Alberta SuperNet will expand and improve Albertans' access to e-learning opportunities across the province. Applications include improved video-conferencing capability, enhanced access to online learning and teaching resources, and greater administrative efficiency at the school jurisdiction and system level. Currently, over 1,600 Kindergarten to Grade 12 schools have Alberta SuperNet connections. All Kindergarten to Grade 12 schools are expected to have SuperNet access by the end of September 2005.

Online learning
LearnAlberta.ca is a website providing online learning resources directly tied to Alberta students' classroom learning. New resources are continuously being developed for all grades and subject areas. The Aboriginal Studies' Earth Voices video series, new lessons for Math 5 Live!, English Language Arts' Alphabet Trails, the Social Studies' I Am Unique and Railways and Immigration resources, and the new Social Studies Guide to Implementation, are just a few of the new items you'll find on the website this fall.

Exploring Aboriginal history, culture and life
Students taking Aboriginal Studies this year now have the benefit of specially-developed authorized resources. The new Aboriginal Studies 10, 20, and 30 textbooks offer a rich array of historical events, cultural celebrations, spiritual symbolism and modern-day examples of Aboriginal achievements presented from authentic Aboriginal perspectives.

Aboriginal Learner Data Collection Initiative (ALDCI)
As part of the school registration process, Aboriginal students are being asked to voluntarily identify themselves as Aboriginal on school registration forms. This information will help Alberta Education to learn more about Aboriginal student achievement and allocate resources to improve learning and success for Aboriginal students. More information on this program can be found at www.education.gov.ab.ca/aboriginal/aldci.

Resource Source
The Resource Source is a back-to-school tool, designed especially for Alberta teachers and school administrators. Explore curriculum, browse the learning resources catalogue, review special needs resources, or check for upcoming conferences. A CD-ROM contains a wide variety of Alberta Education documents in one easy-to-use format, to help teachers make the most of the 2005/2006 school year. For copies of the Resource Source, please visit the Learning Resources Centre website at www.lrc.education.gov.ab.ca or contact us at lrc.communications@gov.ab.ca.

Two backgrounders attached:

Backgrounder

Did you know these facts about education in Alberta?

  • In Budget 2005, the Government of Alberta is investing $4.3 billion in Alberta's Kindergarten to Grade 12 (K-12) school system. This is an increase of $287 million from the previous year.
  • In the 2004/2005 school year, there were 592,328 K-12 students in Alberta.
  • There are 2,085 schools in Alberta, which includes public, separate, francophone, charter and private schools.
  • Almost 39,000 certified teachers work in Alberta's school system. This includes teachers, principals, assistant superintendents and superintendents.
  • Alberta was the first province to establish a Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) to help students begin learning a trade while in high school. Beginning in 1991 with five students, more than 1,200 students participate in the program today.
  • In the 2004/2005 school year, there were 117,525 students in French as a Second Language programs and another 30,427 students in alternative French language programs (which includes French immersion).
  • Alberta students continue to achieve excellent results on international tests, sharing the highest scores in reading, improving from third to second in mathematics and ranking fourth in science, based on results from the 2003 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), administered by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Alberta is the only province whose average scores are significantly higher than the Canadian average in every area tested. Alberta students also perform well at the national level and scored number one in the 2004 School Achievement Indicators Program (SAIP) Science III assessment.
  • Groups of educators and education officials from China, Hong Kong, Japan, Germany, Mexico, Singapore, and South Africa are among international delegations that have visited Alberta to study the success of our education system first-hand. In December 2004, the largest-ever education delegation from the United States spent several days in Edmonton. This group included Governor of Minnesota Tim Pawlenty, as well as state legislators, school board members and local teaching representatives.
  • The Alberta Initiative for School Improvement (AISI) provides funding for local innovative programs and projects, including early literacy, math skills, smaller class sizes, and stay-in-school programs that support student learning. Since the start of AISI in 1999, government has invested approximately $300 million and supported more than 1,200 innovative projects and programs through AISI. Budget 2005 provided $70 million to fund AISI projects this year.
  • Alberta's first public school was established in 1881 in Edmonton, even before Alberta became a province or Edmonton became a city. Two Alberta schools that began in 1905 are still in existence today: Granum School in the Town of Granum, and St. Matthew Lutheran School in the Town of Stony Plain.

Backgrounder

A Kaleidoscope of Canadian History

New social studies curriculum introduced to students in early grades this fall

Edmonton... Greg King lights up when he's asked about his cultural heritage. "The history of the Métis Nation is intertwined with the history of our country," he begins. What follows is a fascinating history lesson with a unique cultural perspective.

King is representing The Métis Nation of Alberta on an advisory group helping to revise the province's Social Studies curriculum. Many Alberta students will learn about Métis history in Social Studies classes this year, as well as many other perspectives on Canada's past.

Starting this fall, Alberta Education is launching a new Social Studies curriculum in Kindergarten to Grade 3. The new Social Studies curriculum puts an even greater focus on citizenship and identity, and has an increased concentration on Canadian and Alberta history. It recognizes and reflects the diverse perspectives and important contributions of all Canadians, regardless of culture or background, and paints a more complete picture of Canada's history.

This revision has been years in the making, and it is appropriate that it is being launched as our province celebrates its 100th birthday. "There is no better time for Albertans to start learning more about our history than during Alberta's Centennial," said Education Minister Gene Zwozdesky. "Our province is ready for a new Social Studies program that reflects the needs of students in the 21st century and prepares us for Alberta's second century."

A wide range of stakeholders participated in the development process, including hundreds of teachers and associations such as the Métis Nation of Alberta. "Alberta Education took a collaborative - and responsible - approach, by inviting a wide range of community stakeholders to participate in the revision of the Social Studies curriculum in an advisory capacity," says King. "The result is a groundbreaking new Program of Studies that will provide Alberta students with many different perspectives on our country's history."

The new Social Studies curriculum is being introduced in phases. Starting this fall, the new curriculum will be taught to students in Kindergarten to Grade 3. Social Studies curriculum for other grades will also be revised in phases, with Grades 4 and 7 being implemented in fall 2006, for example. The new curriculum will be implemented at every grade level by 2010. Details about Alberta's new Social Studies curriculum are available at www.education.gov.ab.ca.