Mr. Speaker, I have a return to written question asked by Ms. Green on February 9, 2017, to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment regarding Instructional School Hours.
Staff from the Department of Education, Culture and Employment are in regular contact with staff from Alberta Education and have considered the potential impact on course curriculum and student outcomes.
Students in the Northwest Territories will continue to receive grade 12 diplomas at the standard set by Alberta. In achieving a diploma, NWT students will continue to meet the same curriculum requirements.
Alberta Education does not mandate a specified number of instructional hours to NWT schools which teach Alberta diploma exam courses. While Alberta has followed the formula of 125 hours for a five credit course for many years, they are now engaged in their own High School Redesign project that will see a similar reduction of instructional time in some Alberta schools.
There will not be cuts to the curriculum in the NWT or a reduction in course content. However, we will increasingly begin implementing different approaches to teaching and learning that are expected to better engage students and increase opportunities for student success. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
