Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So I have questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. So given that the current high school graduating classes in the NWT are the last ones using the Alberta curriculum and the 2027 graduating classes will be the first ones graduating under the BC curriculum, some parents and educators have some questions about how this is rolling out. Specifically, since the transition to the BC curriculum was first explained as a pilot, I'd like to know from the Minister is the GNWT doing some kind of research and monitoring to evaluate the success of the transition to the BC curriculum? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife North. Minister of ECE.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. So, Mr. Speaker, I just want to be clear it's not the transition to the BC curriculum that is the pilot. It is the NWT-adapted version in our classrooms. And so we are transitioning to BC curriculum. We are not turning around and going back. We've made significant investments in this program. I have heard good things from teachers, educators, and families as well. So I just want to be clear on what the pilot is here.
Mr. Speaker, absolutely this is happening in a phased approach to make sure that we are doing this in bite-sized pieces that we can digest as we go, and we're actively monitoring and evaluating as we go as well. So we're doing that through teacher and student feedback. We're using proficiency scales to assess learning. We're also tracking literacy and numeracy outcomes using BC's assessment tools. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister tell us -- because I am getting some questions from parents -- is there any significant difference between the Alberta and the BC curriculums in terms of how the high school classes or credits are valued or assessed by post-secondary institutions in Canada? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. So, Mr. Speaker, I too am getting some questions when you are out and about around town, for sure. I will say, though, the best place for people to get answers is certainly from their education body. The Department of Education, Culture and Employment works quite closely together with teachers to do professional development and to support them through this transition. So I just want parents to know that they can also get that information there.
To answer the Member's question, though, and to put this all to rest, it is absolutely not putting students in any type of a barrier across this country to get into post-secondary and to be able to access post-secondary by graduating from a high school in British Columbia or through a curriculum through British Columbia versus Alberta. So that information has been followed up on even before the transition occurred from the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, and we can put that one to rest and reassure parents across the territory. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of ECE. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And so we were somewhat familiar with the standardized testing under the Alberta curriculum in grades 6, 9, and 12, but there's less clarity, or it's less well-known, what kind of standardized testing is present in the BC curriculum, or in the absence of standardized tests how are we now assessing the competency of our students at various stages to ensure that they can keep up with other students in Canada? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. So, Mr. Speaker, absolutely BC uses a different model than Alberta. So they have the foundational skills assessment, which is done in grades 4 and 7, and the graduation literacy and numeracy assessments done in grades 10 and 12. These assessment tools focus on literacy and numeracy rather than being subject-specific which means it takes out the act of memorization and really celebrates the act of learning in this process.
In the Northwest Territories, Alberta's grades 6 and 9 tests ended in 2023. Alberta diploma exams will be phased out by 2026. And BC's assessments are being introduced gradually to pair with those. Thank you very much.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Oral questions. Member from Range Lake.
