Mr. Chase tables letter from consituents concerned with education cutbacks

The following is copied from the November 4, 2009, printed transcripts of the Legislative debate and discussion:

 

Mr. Chase (Calgary-Varsity Lib): My second tabling, Mr. Speaker. I

have the requisite number of copies of correspondence from Calgarians

Gabrielle Enns, Isabell Emery, Jennifer Reddy, Jenny Regal, Kelly Russell,

Kelly Waterman, Antonella Fanella, Dave Roseke, Michelle Coolidge, Sarah

Clarke, Marlies Sargent, Brenda Herring, Ken Yasenchuk, Meghann

Springett, Alicia Motuz, Tim Kitchen, and Patricia Paterson that was

sent to the Minister of Education and the Premier urging them not to

cut funding for education because it is more important in these times

than ever to invest in our children’s futures.

 

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (1764)

Ms Notley: “Stop the cuts. The future of Alberta’s children depends on it.”

The following is copied from the November 4, 2009, printed transcripts of the Legislative debate and discussion:

 

Ms Notley (Edmonton-Strathcona): Mr. Speaker, Alberta’s

education system is on the brink of a government-inspired crisis.

We need to protect funding for public education, not cut it. With an

anticipated $340 million expected to be cut from the 2010 budget,

school boards, teachers, and parent councils have united in their

recognition of the dire consequences should these cuts go ahead.

Moreover, the uncertainty and fear arising from the prospect of these

cuts is creating chaos in a system that is already struggling to meet

surprise mid-year budget clawbacks.

 

If that’s not enough, the province has given education stakeholders

a brief opportunity to have any impact on revisions to the

School Act, which many believe have already been drafted. Vague

requests for stakeholders to weigh in on questions of governance are

issued while straightforward discussions with the school boards this

would affect are avoided.

 

In the midst of talk of restructuring and profound funding cuts the

government is also reviewing its provision of special-needs supports

to Alberta kids. One of the items on the chopping block: coding, one

of the few mechanisms of certainty in a system that has been

increasingly destabilized by the actions of this government.

 

Finally, while these very significant changes are being discussed

behind either partially or completely closed doors, the government

has spent unnecessary dollars consulting experts, only to invite the

public stakeholders to draw pictures of what they think the future of

Alberta’s education should look like. The title of this initiative?

Inspiring Education. Where is the inspiration in threatening

transformative cuts to the public system while maintaining an

increased level of funding to the private schools? Where is the

inspiration in having parents fund raise for their schools by working

casinos to meet the basic instructional needs of the classroom?

Where is the inspiration in driving school boards to increase class

sizes, limit special-needs and literacy funding, and close community

schools? This government is not inspiring education for our children

at all. Rather, it is stifling the very future of this province with

short-sighted and uninspired solutions offered up in the middle of

self-generated chaos. Stop the cuts. The future of Alberta’s children

depends on it.

 

Thank you. (1763)

Mr. Chase asks Minister of Education multiple choice questions during question period

The following is copied from the November 5, 2009, printed transcripts of the Legislative debate and discussion:

 

Mr. Chase (Calgary-Varsity Lib): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Because

of my inability to interpret educational bafflegab, I have prepared a

translation test to help the Minister of Education qualify and quantify

his responses from yesterday, upon which he will be graded, with his

results published by the Fraser Institute. HB pencil ready, Mr. Minister.

Multiple-choice tests (a) assume that there’s only one correct

response, (b) emphasize the final product over process, (c) are easy

and inexpensive to mark, (d) any or all of the above. Letter only,

please.

 

Mr. Hancock (Edmonton-Whitemud PC): Mr. Speaker, being a

slow learner, I missed the first part of the question, so I can’t answer

the (a), (b), (c), or (d) part.

 

Mr. Chase: Grade 12 students don’t have those options.

Question 2. The Ministry of Education’s justification for giving

equal value for an entire year’s work to a two-hour multiple-choice

test is (a) students who have slacked off throughout the year deserve

one last chance to redeem themselves, (b) primarily designed to

justify the Ministry of Education’s existence, (c) teachers’ professionally

varied and cumulative evaluations of standardized curriculum

aren’t to be trusted, (d) all of the above. (A), (b), (c), or (d)?

 

Mr. Hancock: Mr. Speaker, this is precisely the type of problem we

try to avoid by having experts design exam questions which are valid

and reliable and actually test functional knowledge and ability to

calculate, all of those things, the six things that I mentioned in the

House the other day that are necessary to test in a reliable manner.

This particular teacher should go back and learn assessment

qualities.

 

Mr. Chase: Well, I’m sorry, Mr. Speaker, but due to budget cuts we

had to remove the written rationale portion of the multiple-choice

test.

 

Question 3. When selecting a successful college or university

applicant, a variety of factors are taken into consideration including

(a) the student’s academic record throughout their high school

experience, (b) a singular focus on their departmental exam mark,

(c) their extracurricular interests, including community involvement,

(d) both (a) and (c). Would the minister like a lifeline?

 

Mr. Hancock: Mr. Speaker, most of us would know that colleges

and universities, postsecondary institutions across this province, first

of all, put a great deal of reliance on the Alberta diploma because the

Alberta diploma is based on a standardized assessment, which gives

a reliable indication of a student’s ability. Not only in Alberta but

institutions across North America accept the Alberta diploma. In

fact, other places want the Alberta diploma because it has such a

strong standard. Other jurisdictions don’t have that kind of reliability,

so their marks get degraded. The fact of the matter is that most

postsecondaries look beyond the actual marks now. They understand

that internationalization, community service: all of those things

are important. Depending on the faculty and depending on the

purpose, they look beyond the marks. (1760)

Mrs. Leskiw questions Minister of Education on the value of Grade 3 acheivement tests

The following is copied from the November 4, 2009, printed transcripts of the Legislative debate and discussion:

Mrs. Leskiw (Bonnyville-Cold Lake PC): Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Last spring I brought forth private member’s Motion 503, which urged

the government to “eliminate provincial achievement tests for grade 3

students and consider alternative assessments for learning.” On March

16, 2009, Motion 503 was carried. Teachers and parents across Alberta

are wondering what action the government has taken pertaining to the

elimination of grade 3 PATs. Mr. Speaker, my question is the to

Minister of Education. What has this government done in reevaluating

the grade 3 PATs since Motion 503 was passed?

 

The Speaker: The hon. minister.

 

Mr. Hancock (Edmonton-Whitemud PC): Well, thank you, Mr.

Speaker. Again an important question. We do have concerns from across

the province, particularly at the grade 3 level, with parents and teachers

saying that there’s a high degree of stress placed on students. Firstly, I

would say that there’s absolutely no need for that stress. The assessment

that we’re doing in grade 3 is about reporting the results of the

system. It has no effect on the students’ ability to pass or fail, and

it plays no part in the assessment of the teacher. It’s a valuable tool.

The question, then, is: if you’re going to give up that valuable tool,

what are you replacing it with? What are you going to use to get the

type of information you need to assess the system and to help in the

assessment of the students?

 

 

The Speaker: The hon. member.

 

Mrs. Leskiw: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My first supplementary

question is to the same minister. The grade 3 PATs cost the

government approximately $5 million each year. With the recent

cutbacks in education could this not be a way to save money without

affecting the learning of grade 3 students in this province?

 

Mr. Hancock: Well, Mr. Speaker, the entire program of provincial

achievement tests for grades 3, 6, and 9 actually costs us approximately

$4 million. The grade 3 achievement tests account for

approximately $600,000 per year of that. Now, if you moved to

diagnostic assessment as a tool or to some other tool for formative

and summative assessment, one of the things that you’d know is that

that will actually cost more money, not less. So while we are

interested in designing better tools to do formative and summative

assessment, we also have to be cognizant of the fact that doing it that

way will actually cost more, not less.

 

The Speaker: The hon. member.

 

Mrs. Leskiw: Thank you. My final supplemental is to the same

minister. Mr. Speaker, when can Albertans expect a definite answer

regarding the status of grade 3 PATs? Will the grade 3s this year be

expected to write them in June?

 

The Speaker: The hon. minister.

 

Mr. Hancock: Thanks, Mr. Speaker. We have had discussions with

the ATA and with other stakeholders about the role of PATs at the

grade 3 level and moving to a better tool for formative and summative

assessment. That discussion is ongoing. We’re looking at the

various tools that could be used for that. It’s important not to move,

I believe, to cancel the existing tests, which do have value for the

system, until we know that we’ve got something to move to. The

question really can only be answered by saying that if and when we

have the new tool in place and are ready to engage in it, then we’ll

be in a position to cancel the old tests, or if we’re certain that we’re

going to be able to move there, we can cancel the old tests. Will that

happen by June? I don’t know. (1730)

Mr. Chase questions Minister of Education on decision to remove writen portion from grade 12 math and science diploma exams

The following is copied from the November 4, 2009, printed transcripts of the Legislative debate and discussion:

 

Mr. Chase (Calgary-Varsity Lib): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The

Minister of Education recently removed the written portion from

grade 12 math and science departmental exams. Parents and teachers

are concerned that this decision won’t allow students to demonstrate

that they understand the reasoning process behind the questions they’re

answering. Last Thursday in the House the minister argued that the

student scores in both the written and multiple-choice sections of the

exam were relatively identical. To the minister: if this is the case,

then why not eliminate the multiple-choice portion and leave the

written portion?

 

Mr. Hancock (Edmonton-Whitemud PC): Well, Mr. Speaker,

first of all, I should indicate that in the department we have experts in

assessment, and they work with teachers across the province to develop

valid and reliable exams. Test questions are created. They’re tested.

They’re field tested. We’re very confident that the exams that we have

are, in fact, valid and reliable, that they test knowledge. You can’t guess

and succeed. It’s about a 1 in a billion chance of passing an exam by

guessing. Multiple-choice and numeric response exams are a

time-honoured way of testing. They are valid and reliable, and they’re

easy to make, to administer, and to mark. So it makes sense to use that

form. Now, that doesn’t mean that literacy in math and science is

not important.

 

The Speaker: The hon. member.

 

Mr. Chase: Thank you. I’m not sure where out of the air the

minister pulled that 1 in a billion statistic on multiple-choice exams.

The decision to strip the exams of written material appears to be

purely a cost-saving rather than an educationally sound measure. If

the minister is really looking to reduce costs, why doesn’t he simply

scrap the provincial exams altogether, as the Calgary board of

education has recently recommended doing for grades 3, 6, and 9?

 

The Speaker: The hon. minister.

 

Mr. Hancock: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. The reason we do

achievement tests at grades 3, 6, and 9 is so that we can report to the

public about the efficacy, the value of the education system, whether

we’re succeeding or not. So we have provincial achievement tests.

They serve a different purpose. They also can be used very well

within the school system as one of the educational tools. But it’s

important to have that kind of assessment to understand where we’re

going. Now, can we change that? Absolutely we can change that.

We’re always open to discussion about more effective ways of doing

things and more effective ways of using our resources.

 

It’s not a question simply of saving money. It’s a question of

getting the best result and investing the resources you have in the

most appropriate way to get that result. Going back to the diploma

exams, if you’re doing two exams and getting the same result, then

perhaps one exam would be appropriate.

 

The Speaker: The hon. member.

 

Mr. Chase: Thank you. The minister knows very well and has

spoken about the importance of diagnostic testing, with diagnostic

testing done at the beginning of the year as opposed to when the

students have left and don’t get their results until three months later,

when they’re in a different division. I hope you’ll consider this.

In the interest of reducing student anxiety while claiming to

monitor student progress, will the minister at least consider reducing

the 50 per cent value of these one-shot, two-hour grade 12 multiplechoice

tests?

 

Mr. Hancock: Well, I think I heard the word “consider” in there,

and so I’d have to say: of course. I’ve indicated to the system that

we’re prepared to consider anything. It’s only appropriate to

consider whether anything can be improved from time to time. The

question that then has to be asked in terms of whether you should

reduce from 50 per cent to some other number would be a question

of how much weight should be placed on a provincial diploma

examination in order to ensure that you have a consistent method of

assessment across the province so that the marks that go on the

diploma and that are used for scholarships and postsecondary

application, et cetera, are fair to all students. (1729)

Mrs. Forsyth celebrates the first student winners of the Youth Engagement Environmental Grant

The following is copied from the November 4, 2009, printed transcripts of the Legislative debate and discussion:

 

Mrs. Forsyth: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ve devoted most of my

life to promoting the interests of children and youth. I strongly

believe that our young people can accomplish great things, and I’m

constantly witness to the truth in this belief. Students at an Edmonton

junior high school have reaffirmed my conviction.

 

I’d like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of a group

of students at St. Thomas More school. Earlier today my colleague

the hon. Minister of Environment participated in an event at the

school to acknowledge the first recipients of the youth engagement

environmental grant, a province-wide opportunity. This outstanding

group of students – and many more are to follow – has shown

environmental stewardship in action and the important role that they

can play. They saw a need in their school and took action to meet

it. Working together, the students created a new paper-sorting and

recycling program at their school. The grant they received today is

allowing the students to purchase recycling bins for every classroom

in the school as well as cover start-up costs for the program. This

will benefit the school and the community for years to come.

 

The youth engagement environmental grant program is the result

of a partnership between the Emerald Foundation, a nonprofit

organization that engages Albertans in environmental stewardship,

and founding sponsor ConocoPhillips. A second sponsor, the

Alberta Beverage Container Recycling Corporation, has also joined

this program. Clearly, the vision and contribution of these organizations

will help foster the environmental leaders of tomorrow.

 

These students are taking action to make the world a better place.

They are providing the important and inspirational leadership roles

that children and youth can play in our province, and I encourage

others in the future to participate and do the same.

 

I ask all members of the Assembly to join me in congratulating the

students at St. Thomas More school on their initiative and hard

work. I hope you will be inspired, as I am, by the knowledge,

enthusiasm, and desire to make a difference that these young

Albertans are demonstrating.

 

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (1722)

Ms Woo-Paw discusses the importance of using bond capital to invest in education system

The following is copied from the November 3, 2009, printed transcripts of the Legislative debate and discussion:

 

Government Motions
Alberta Capital Bonds
16. Ms Evans moved:

Be it resolved that the Assembly approve in general the issue of
Alberta capital bonds by the government in support of the
development of public infrastructure projects and facilities.

 

Ms Woo-Paw (Calgary-Mackay PC): … I would also like to say that

as we were prepared to cope with the recession, we should continue to

prepare for Alberta 20 years from now. One way of doing this is through

community-based facilities. Calgary-Mackay is a relatively young community

as are many other communities in our province. I think that by investing in

some of our community-based facilities, we can have facilities that provide

immunizations and well-child services along with speech therapy

and mental health services. Many of the community health and

wellness centres have translated into decreasing emergency room

visits in surrounding hospitals, which increases the efficiency of

services provided and decreases wait times. I think that these bonds

could also be invested in supporting our education system as we

need to have a well-educated and skilled workforce to meet the

needs of our future economy.

[...]

Mr. Chase (Calgary-Varsity Lib): Are there particular projects,

hon. Member for Calgary- Mackay, that you would like to see prioritized

in terms of the public infrastructure that’s being built? Did you have a

wish list of the types of construction you’d like to see done?

 

Ms Woo-Paw (Calgary-Mackay PC): I was speaking in somewhat

general terms. I think that we have a growing province, and I think that

what Mackay is in need of is shared by many communities across our

province. I think that having community-based facilities that would meet

the needs of our growing population is a good thing, and this is very much

what we need as a growing province. Some of the things I mentioned are

things that we need in Mackay, but I’m sure that’s shared in other

parts of the province as well.

 

The Deputy Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Varsity.

 

Mr. Chase (calgary-Varsity Lib): Thank you. I’m trying to prompt

you as the former chair of the Calgary school board to potentially declare

your fondness for school construction as part of infrastructure. I don’t

wish to put words in your mouth, but I want to give you the

opportunity to put on the record the importance of school infrastructure.

 

The Deputy Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Mackay.

 

Ms Woo-Paw (Calgary-Mackay PC): Thank you for the opportunity.

I think that there is a great need in our growing province for more

education facilities for young people. (1719 – 1720)

Bill 51 – Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act (2009) – In Brief

Bill 51 – Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act (2009)

(Explanation provided by the Public School Boards’ Association of Alberta)

 

Among other matters, the Bill would amend the School Act as follows:

7(1) The School Act is amended in section 71 by adding the
following after subsection (4):

(5) A trustee may participate in a meeting of the board by
electronic means or other communication facilities if the
electronic means or other communication facilities enable the
trustees participating in the meeting and members of the public
attending the meeting to hear each other.

(6) Trustees participating in a meeting of the board by
electronic means or other communication facilities are deemed
to be present at the meeting.

The affected section of the School Act presently reads:

71(1) No act or proceeding of a board is binding unless it is
adopted at a meeting at which a quorum of the board is present.
(2) The quorum of a board is a majority of the trustees that, as
specified under section 247, are to be elected to the board.
(3) Notwithstanding subsection (1), the Minister may order that
when the number of trustees has fallen below the quorum the
remaining trustees are deemed to be a quorum until elections are
held to fill the number of vacancies required to achieve a normal
quorum.

 

Click here to read the Bill in its entirety.

Ms Redford introduces Bill 51 which would allow school board trustees to attend board meetings by means of electronic communication

The following is copied from the November 3, 2009, printed transcripts of the Legislative debate and discussion. Click here to read Bill 51 in its entirety. Click here to read Bill 51 in brief.

Bill 51

Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 2009

Ms Redford (Calgary-Elbow PC): Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is my pleasure to rise today to request leave to introduce Bill 51,

the Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 2009.

Mr. Speaker, Bill 51 contains a number of provisions which are

noncontentious. I’ll briefly list those acts which are affected by this

particular bill: the Alberta Evidence Act, the Fatality Inquiries Act,

the Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act, the Companies Act,

the Family Law Act, the Government Organization Act, and the

School Act.

Thank you.

[Motion carried; Bill 51 read a first time] (1700)

Mr. Bhardwaj and Minister of Education discuss high school completion strategies for high-risk and vulnerable students

The following is copied from the November 3, 2009, printed transcripts of the Legislative debate and discussion:

 

Mr. Bhardwaj (Edmonton-Ellerslie PC): Thank you very much,

Mr. Speaker. On October 20 I attended an information session put on by

Terra, a centre for pregnant teens, helping teenage mothers to complete

high school. I must say that they’re doing a wonderful job. My questions

are to the Minister of Education. What steps is your ministry taking to help

these young women complete high school?

 

The Speaker: The hon. minister.

 

Mr. Hancock (Edmonton-Whitemud PC): Thank you, Mr.

Speaker. There are a number of programs across the province, one of

which includes the Terra centre, for example, that work in partnership

with school boards. In this case Terra works in partnership with the

Edmonton public school board to support teen moms in achieving their

academic success, getting their high school completion. The partnership

between Terra and Braemar school helps the students achieve their

potential both as students and as parents. Many of the Alberta

school jurisdictions have developed programs that support pregnant

and parenting teens to complete their education. It’s a very, very

vital part of making sure that every Alberta youth, regardless of their

circumstance, has the opportunity to achieve their potential.

 

The Speaker: The hon. member.

 

Mr. Bhardwaj (Edmonton-Ellerslie PC): Thank you very much,

Mr. Speaker. To the same minister: given that vulnerable students are the

most at risk of not completing high school, what initiatives is your ministry

taking to help other high-risk and vulnerable students to obtain their high

school diploma?

 

Mr. Hancock (Edmonton-Whitemud PC): Well, Mr. Speaker, there

are many reasons why students don’t finish high school. There’s not one

single answer to that. In the spring of 2009 we did launch the high school

completion strategic framework, which outlines strategies, including

personalized learning, successful transitions, collaborative partnerships,

positive connections, and tracking progress. We have the Alberta

mentoring partnership, we have a province-wide wraparound

research project, we have a provincial protocol framework for

success in school for children and youth in care jointly with Children

and Youth Services, we have the children’s mental health capacity

building project jointly with Health, funded out of the former Mental

Health Board, and the aboriginal parent and community engagement.

There are a number of projects across the province. I think it’s fair

to say that one of our highest priorities is making sure that every

child can get an education.

The Speaker: The hon. member.

 

Mr. Bhardwaj (Edmonton-Ellerslie PC): Thank you very much,

Mr. Speaker. My final supplemental to the same minister. In recent years

the province’s high school completion rate has flatlined. What is the

minister doing to improve the rate and ensure that the province is

graduating students that are capable and ready to contribute to the

workforce or to the postsecondary institutions?

 

The Speaker: The hon. minister.

 

Mr. Hancock (Edmonton-Whitemud PC): Well, thank you,

Mr. Speaker. Actually, from the years 2004 to 2007 the five-year high

school completion rate has increased steadily and now remains at a

constant 79 per cent, so we actually over the five-year term have had

good growth in that. It’s still not good enough. A lot more needs to be

done.

 

As I said, we launched the high school completion framework at

the beginning of this year. Initiatives associated with the framework

were either at the research stage, the pilot stage, or the first years of

development. Currently departmental staff are meeting with school

jurisdictions to help them understand the high school completion

framework and get their advice on best practices around the province

that can be shared among jurisdictions. (1697 – 1698)