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#abed news: The Alberta government is disbanding a group of 358 teachers, academics, Indigenous and francophone experts who were reviewing the new K-12 curriculum and rapidly assembling new groups of teachers to do the work: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/government-curriculum-review-appointments-1.5804528?cmp=rss #ableg
This comes in the wake of some of the government's hand-picked curriculum advisers making controversial suggestions that experts say would put Alberta decades behind other jurisdictions #ableg #abed https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/education-experts-slam-leaked-alberta-curriculum-proposals-1.5766570
The former curriculum working groups were originally appointed by the former NDP government in 2016. At one point, there were more than 400 people in the groups. They had expenses reimbursed but were otherwise volunteering their time to look at specific subjects. #ableg #abed
After Jason Kenney returned to Alberta and the curriculum revamp became a political football, the former NDP government refused to release the names of the 400+ group members, as some feared personal attacks and harassment for their involvement. #ableg #abed
The then-UCP Opposition and some columnists then claimed the refusal to release names meant the NDP was writing the curriculum in secret. #ableg #abed
(I looked into this a couple years ago - other provinces don't release writers' names, either https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/hitting-the-books-how-alberta-education-is-rewriting-curriculum-for-the-next-generation-of-students) #abed
(I looked into this a couple years ago - other provinces don't release writers' names, either https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/hitting-the-books-how-alberta-education-is-rewriting-curriculum-for-the-next-generation-of-students) #abed
I've been prodding the UCP gov't about the role of the curriculum working groups, as some members had heard crickets since that government was elected and paused the curriculum development process. As recently as June, the groups were still in tact and had 358 members. List:
Last week, Alberta school boards, First Nation education departments and private schools got an email giving superintendents and directors about seven days to choose new nominees to new curriculum groups. Some emails clarified the old groups were now "former" groups. #abed
Today is the deadline for school authorities to nominate teachers to the new groups. Government is looking for about 300 teachers, who will be grouped into elementary, junior high and high school grade groups. #ableg #abed
The emails also say the K-6 group is expected to meet in Edmonton, in person, on Nov. 25 and 26 to review the curriculum drafts. Public health measures in place, etc. Government is now rethinking the in-person idea, given COVID numbers. #ableg
The emails say the junior high groups would meet in the new year, and high school group... later. The teachers are expected to sign on for a year and sign confidentiality clauses to keep the curriculum drafts confidential. #ableg #abed
The current timeline is for the K-6 drafts to be made public for feedback in early 2021 and start classroom testing in select places during fall 2021. Full implementation of K-6 timeline is fall 2022. I should make a timeline, ya? #ableg
Critics of the process have several concerns about these developments. First, the 25 academics who were on the curriculum groups have now been cut out. There were also 10 reps from the Northwest Territories and three from Nunavut, because they use AB curriculum. #abed
But the government says it will do separate consultation, specifically with Alberta deans of education, on curriculum. Timeline TBA. And NT and NU have been invited to participate in the new groups. The NT government said they hadn't heard anything from AB since 2019. #ableg
The Opposition, the teachers' association and at least one prof I spoke with are also suspicious about the timeline for teachers to review the drafts. @UCalgaryEduc Prof @dmscott73 said he's never seen a government move so fast on an initiative like this. #ableg #abed
