Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides has released a statement in response to the Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA) sharing their thoughts on recently announced changes for the next school year.
Last week the ATA shared a letter that was sent to them by the Minister. According to the ATA, the letter outlined more testing that will be added for the 2024-25 school year.
According to the Minster, it is not additional testing but rather proficiency assessments.
"They measure a student’s cognitive abilities in literacy and numeracy. There are no grades and do not count towards a student's mark in any way. They tell teachers, staff and parents whether the student is at, below or above the average ability level for their age," stated Nicolaides. "If a student is found to be below where they should be, teachers and staff can use made-in-Alberta interventions. Research has shown that after just 4-5 months of intervention support, the vast majority of students make significant improvements. The assessments were first made mandatory in Grades 1, 2 and 3 in 2022 and I am excited to announce an expansion of Alberta’s success in early literacy and numeracy."
According to Nicolaides, these are the changes that are happening:
- Kindergarten: Starting in January 2025, screening will be required in literacy and numeracy for all students in January of each year.
- Grades 1 to 3: Mandatory screening assessments will continue in Grades 1 to 3; however, the timing and frequency of these assessments will change. Starting in September 2024, the literacy and numeracy screening for students in Grades 1 to 3 will now be completed in September and January, with an additional assessment in June for those students identified in January as requiring additional support. The administration window to complete all screening assessments in these grades will be extended to three weeks.
- Grade 3: Student Learning Assessments will be permanently discontinued and will no longer be available for use.
- Grades 4 and 5: Starting in September 2026, screening assessments in literacy and numeracy for students in Grades 4 and 5 will be introduced. Further information about this requirement will be shared at a future date.
- Grade 6: Provincial achievement tests for students in Grade 6 will continue to occur in May and June
"This revised approach to early years assessment will ensure that the literacy and numeracy skills of all students in these grades are assessed and that students receive the necessary intervention supports in the critical early years of their education. To ensure our school boards have the funding and support they need, Budget 2024 set aside $10 million to support this work."
On the first Friday of summer break, @YourAlberta
— Alberta Teachers' Association (@albertateachers) July 11, 2024
quietly announced that all schools must administer numeracy & literacy tests to Gr. 1-3 up to 3 times per year. For the first time, Kindergarten students will also face standardized testing: https://t.co/j5kyW9nbyY #abed #ableg pic.twitter.com/qXARirz5t1
ATA President Jason Schilling shared his thoughts on the changes last week.
"When so many kids are falling through the cracks, we need to be giving them a safety net instead of measuring how fast they’re falling. Teachers don’t need a test to identify which students are struggling; they need smaller classes and more support to get those kids additional help,” stated Schilling.
He believes the time and energy required by teachers to administer tests/assessments takes away from time teachers could be helping kids.
“While the government claims to have listened to experts, it’s clear they did not hear what actual teachers had to say. Politicians and bureaucrats who have little knowledge and experience of the realities of Alberta’s classrooms might think this is a great idea, but teachers, who will end up spending hours administering tests and preparing students for them in September, January and June, do not. All this is being foisted on the same teachers who are still trying to implement new curriculum across multiple grades and subject areas.”
Schilling suggests a better approach is to respect teachers' professional judgment, allowing them to decide which students would benefit from an assessment and when. More fundamentally, the province needs to stop distractions and address the real issue in public education—the severe lack of appropriate funding.