Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier today I spoke about Canada’s recent decline on the global stage of our math performance. Coupled with what we already know about our extremely poor performance on our AAT Grade 9 math scores, the debate brewing between Discovery Learning and going back to basics is clearly circling the wagon at the recent launch of the Education Renewal and Innovation Initiative. My questions today will be for the Minister responsible, the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Our math curriculum for years has been based on the Alberta model. Can the Minister indicate, with the pending ERI Initiative, what changes in math teachings in the NWT and what provincial curriculum will the NWT likely follow? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The NWT and Alberta are part of the Western and Northern Canadian Protocol along with three provinces and three territorial jurisdictions. We have been involved with the math curriculum and teaching resources for the past 20 years to develop a common and use by all WNCP partners.
The NWT has been, and continues to be, extremely active in this process along with other provincial jurisdictions. As you know, Mr. Speaker, there are changes happening within Alberta education. We are closely monitoring that through their education redesign process. With any changes, we are closely monitoring what kind of changes will be happening pertaining to mathematical curriculum. We will be making changes that reflect on that for the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I appreciate the Minister’s response. I think I really want to get rid some of the fuzziness around some of the changes that might be pending.
Would the Minister say we are maintaining our math standards towards more of the Discovery Learning or does he see us as maintaining more of a traditional charted course in math basics? Thank you.
There’s been a lot of recent discussion about Discovery Learning versus traditional learning, particularly relating to mathematics. Alberta has again... We are referring to Alberta because we use their curriculum, as well, both nationally and internationally in mathematics education for well over a decade. So we are learning from Alberta, our neighbouring province. The math curriculum that we use in the NWT has been adopted by other provincial jurisdictions in Canada. As an example in Quebec, they have done very well as they embrace a new approach to student learning. They focus on attention to careful learning and the training of the teachers who teach mathematics. This is a…(inaudible)…approach as well. This investment in teacher training is one of the highlighted areas in our initiatives, so we are closely monitoring that as well as working with other provincial jurisdictions.
Again, I’m going to have to go back to Hansard and decipher that response. Again, I’m trying to get rid of the fuzziness around the changes that are pending, especially with this ERI Initiative.
Again, communication is paramount when we launch an initiative of this magnitude. Can the Minister elaborate on what kind of communication process and rollout expectation timeline will we see for this ERI Initiative and will math curriculum be affected in the near future? Thank you.
My department has been engaged with the superintendents and also assistant superintendents over the last week to explain that very concept and ask for substantive feedback from their school boards. As we said, Alberta is developing new assessment tools such as Student Learning Assessment for introduction at the Grade 3 level in September 2014. So those are some of the important key aspects that we are monitoring.
For the NWT, no matter how we decide to engage in the use of these tools, we will, on some level, compromise data for the coming years for Grade 3.
Grades 6, 9 and 12 assessment tools remain in place for the coming school year until Alberta changes their format. Then we have to adapt to those changes as well. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Testing is very important for parents or even students. That is the cornerstone of how we are doing well.
With almost zero testing indicators from what we can see during this ERI Initiative transition, and with little framework of a national grading strategy, can the Minister indicate by what process will the department be able to evaluate our math performance or our success of our NWT students? Thank you.
Part of the process that we are going through is, again, working closely with the school boards across the Northwest Territories and working closely with the provincial jurisdictions. I mentioned the Quebec model and also the Alberta model. We are going to be making changes through the Education Renewal Initiative pertaining to Alberta making changes. It’s coming. We know that substantial changes are coming. So through the mathematical curriculum, we will be making those changes as well. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
