Recent results from Provincial Achievement Tests and Grade 12 diploma exams shows Alberta students are recovering from the disruptions brought on by the pandemic.
Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides says the development of some screening tools provided some important data on what areas children were struggling in.
“We put these screening tools in place in grades 2 and 3. Teachers and other staff were able to screen students to see where their level of proficiency was in english and in math and in other areas. That gave teachers a good understanding of which kids needed some additional help.”
The province has also invested $10 million over the past two years to support educators and specialists in clearing a pandemic-related backlog of specialized assessments.
Right now, a bill is currently being debated in the legislature that Nicolaides says would establish a new right to education for students in emergencies.
“Since we have gone through the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve been able to “sharpen our pencils” a little bit as a province when it comes to online learning. We do have that option available, but we are looking to prioritize in-person learning and strengthen the importance of in-person learning.”
Nicolaides says they will be requiring school boards to have strict policies about when they can shift to online learning and clear timelines on when in-person learning can resume.
You can listen to the full interview below.
– Kyle Moore, Trending 55 Newsroom
