Alberta’s junior high school students will learn new math, social studies, physical education and wellness programs by fall 2026, the provincial government announced.

Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides also said he is considering the possibility of transferring some topics covered in the High School Career and Life Management (CALM) course to college.

This decision could result from an ongoing review of the three-credit CALM coursewhich is required for graduation and often taught in 11th grade.

“Can we make improvements to career and life management or are there other ways to integrate career education into the curriculum?” Nicolaides said in an interview Thursday.

CALM topics, such as making wise life decisions, sexual health education, household management, and career development skills, could extend to junior high school or require more credits, Nicolaides said.

The minister said secondary school students who were members of the Youth Ministerial Council said they did not consider the CALM courses useful.

The overhaul of the early secondary school curriculum is a continuation of a long-term overhaul of the Alberta curriculum, which specifies the goals students must achieve in each subject and each grade. The process takes place simultaneously in English and French.

K-12 curriculum overhaul underway

Overseen in different phases by three different governments with different philosophies, the process has become a political football.

The government has imposed a new curriculum for the first time in elementary grades in English, mathematics, physical education and well-being in fall 2022.

Since then, the province has made new programs mandatory in the elementary areas of French language arts and sciences. Students at more than 500 schools are also testing parts of a new elementary social studies curriculum.

Although Nicolaides said all new elementary subjects will be introduced before curriculum writers turn to the middle school, he does not yet have a date for revamping the elementary fine arts curriculum.

Elementary School Drama, Music, Dance, and Arts was developed in the 1980s and is the longest running program.

“We will probably have to postpone that until a later date,” he said. “We also want to develop this one because it’s quite old.”

He said he chose to move forward with math, social studies, physical education and wellness to create continuity for elementary students now entering middle school. The government’s priority is preparation and career development, he said, and the Ministry of Education only has the capacity to revamp a certain number of subjects at a time.

This month, the Ministry of Education will review early versions of the mathematics and social studies curricula for grades 7-9 and the physical education and wellness curricula for grades 7-9. Grade 10 and will consult with school trustees, superintendents, First Nations education directors and “subject matter experts.” according to a government press release.

The government also asked the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) to appoint teachers to review the drafts. These teachers will be asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement, according to the association.

Nicolaides’ press secretary, Kevin R. Lee, said in an email that each subject will benefit from a focus group of up to 20 teachers, at least one of whom will be appointed by the ATA.

Many teachers said they had not contributed enough to the new primary school curriculum or that their feedback was not reflected in the final product.

The government wants the new lower secondary versions to be ready for pilot testing in the 2025-2026 school year and made compulsory for all students the following year.

ATA says elementary math challenges persist

ATA President Jason Schilling said in an interview that the new elementary math curriculum contains concepts that were previously covered in junior high, so it makes sense to rework those requirements.

However, he says teachers are finding that students struggle with more advanced maths concepts transferred to early years, and the government should tackle this problem first.

“Classes are getting harder and harder and students feel less successful,” Schilling said. “This is not what teachers want for their children.”

Taking up social studies in junior high is “more of a political push, an ideological push that’s there, as opposed to necessarily looking at what’s best for kids,” Schilling said.

Social studies was among the most controversial overhauls, and elementary teachers continue to test the new elementary curriculum this year.

On top of the stress of crowded urban and suburban classrooms and schools straining limited funds to accommodate more students, teachers say they are struggling to find resources for some of the new programs that are already required, Schilling said.

In restructuring CALM, Schilling observes how the government determines human sexuality outcomes given recent legislation requiring parents and guardians to enroll students in these courses.

Elementary school teachers are also waiting for new provincial achievement tests for Grade 6 to be developed that match the new curriculum. Nicolaides said he could not yet say whether these exams would be ready in time for May and June 2025.

He also said he has no deadline for rearranging all years and subjects:

“I recognize that we don’t want to put too much on people’s shoulders, but at the same time we don’t want to have a process that drags on for too long and suffers as a result.”