Alberta government proposes changes to junior high curriculum

What students are learning in junior high is the next in line for an update by the Alberta government. With changes to the elementary curriculum now rolled out, Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides says it’s the logical next step. “We’ve been spending the past couple of years updating the elementary curriculum ‘K to 6′. Most of...

What students are learning in junior high is the next in line for an update by the Alberta government.

With changes to the elementary curriculum now rolled out, Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides says it’s the logical next step.

“We’ve been spending the past couple of years updating the elementary curriculum ‘K to 6’. Most of that work is done now so we can turn our attention to the junior high curriculum,” Nicolaides told Global News.

The province is looking at updating mathematics and social studies for grades 7 to 9, physical education and wellness for grades 7 to 10, and tweaking the Career and Life Management program.

The education minister says engagement has already started amongst teachers, education staff and other stakeholders.

According to the province, the restructuring to the junior high curriculum will include content for career education, financial literacy, basic life skills and home maintenance pending feedback from their consultations.

He believes the restructuring will allow students to explore career options sooner.

“For junior high, we’re looking at physical education and wellness as one of the priority subjects to start updating. That’s where a lot of important conversations will happen about financial literacy and other life skills that are critical to long-term student success, so we want to get the ball rolling on that,” Nicolaides said.