JUNE 2013 . Issue 10 . Volume 10
The Calgary Science School
Principal’s Message On May 6, Jeff Johnson, our Minister of Education, signed a ministerial order that sets the direction for some very significant changes that will be made to the education system in Alberta over the course of the next few years. The order is an outcome of the Inspiring Education process that was undertaken in the past few years. I encourage you to familiarize yourself with the order (see below), as it describes the desired outcome of our education system – an engaged thinker who is an ethical citizen with entrepreneurial spirit. The ministerial order sets the context for a number of changes, including the recently announced changes to the Provincial Achievement Tests (PATs) and the redesign of all core provincial curricula. We won’t see any changes in PATs at CSS for the next 2 years, as the implementation of the new standardized tests is phased, with grade 3 being the first phase in 2013-2014. After that, the grade 6 and 9 tests will be revamped. One of the primary intentions behind the changes is to provide schools an opportunity to use the tests to inform instruction. As they are now, the results are not used to provide any sort of diagnostic information on student achievement that teachers can use to better meet the needs of each student. By moving the tests to the start of the year, teachers can use the results to assist in program planning for each student. The format of the tests will also change. Rather than single pencil and paper tests for each subject, the new tests will be a series of smaller, on-line tests that are less likely
to result in test fatigue, and should therefore provide for more reliable results. The curriculum redesign process is also well underway. Normally, curriculum redesign happens with one or two programs at a time, but the government has courageously determined they will simultaneously change all the core provincial curricula to be better aligned with the desired learning outcomes summarized in the ministerial order. The intention is to provide more autonomy for school jurisdictions to interpret curricula in a way that better meets the needs of their particular learners. The outcome will be leaner and less dense curricula so that students and teachers can dig more deeply into each subject, instead of having to cover such a large number of discrete learning outcomes. The changes I describe here are only 2 of the changes that will have an impact on the quality of education your child will receive throughout their K-12 school experience. I encourage you to inform yourself of these changes and invite you to engage in dialogue with other parents, with teachers, and with your children. A digital copy of the Ministerial Order is available here: http://education.alberta.ca/department/policy/standards/goals. aspx Regards, Darrell Lonsberry Principal
www.calgaryscienceschool.com
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