The Grande Prairie Public School Division will not be piloting the K-6 curriculum for the 2021/2022 school year. The decision was made official after a unanimous no vote by the Board of Trustees on Tuesday.
Superintendent Sandy McDonald said during the meeting that the feedback from staff, parents, and the public has pointed towards concerns about the pilot curriculum and was a factor in the final decision.
Board Chair John Lehners adds that it does not seem like the right time or the right curriculum to be putting in front of students in the division next school year.
Trustees echoed those sentiments, suggesting that the timing has played a role in their final decision.
“I think we have to agree to the fact that introducing a new curriculum to the mix would be the wrong road to go down, I also believe it’s too much too fast,” says Paulette Kurylo.
“There are so many faults in this curriculum throughout all subjects, since the pandemic, there are learning gaps for many students,” adds Andre Ouellette. “Our priority needs to be to get those students back on track.”
Trustees also unanimously agreed that in the upcoming school year the main focus for the division should remain on students who may have fallen behind over the last year. However, they agree to review the draft curriculum again in the future.
The GPPSD joins Grande Prairie and District Catholic Schools in declining to pilot the K-6 draft curriculum. The Peace Wapiti Public School Division has yet to declare its intentions on running the curriculum pilot.
