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The Status of Middle Schools in Alberta - 2005
To a certain extent, middle schools in our province are the proverbial ugly duckling. They do not neatly fit into the educational landscape because Alberta’s education system is geared toward the traditional elementary/junior high/high school progression. The curriculum is set that way, the examinations are set that way, and the general mindset amongst members of the public, government, and media is that this is how schools should be set up. Part of the misunderstanding about middle schools can be traced to the fact that middle schools are a relatively new phenomenon in our province.
The Alberta Middle School Association was established in 1993. Much of the public (including me) took and continues to take their Grade 7, 8, and 9 in a junior high school. Simply, many people have no experiences with middle schools. This misconception results in several political, cultural, and social barriers to curriculum integration identified by James Beane (1997).
A good example of middle schools being left in the lurch can be seen in the divisions of the curriculum. As a grade 6-8 middle school, we must use both the Elementary and the Junior High Program of Studies (2002) to establish what happens in our school. For the most part, this division is more inconvenient than problematic. Where it does become problematic is with reference to government examinations. First, when the examination dates are set, they create serious calendar challenges for our school. The government sets the Grade 6 Provincial achievement test dates, but they do not align with reality in our school district. In the past two years, Red Deer Public Schools have been granted special permission to rearrange their examination schedule. Ironically, like many of the middle level students we
serve, middle schools in Alberta are struggling to find their place.
Currently, there are nearly fifty middle schools in operation in Alberta (http://ednet.edc.gov.ab.ca/ei/maps/, 2005). Furthermore, there is evidence that the movement is growing. Middle schools are currently operating in nearly twenty-five different jurisdictions, both public and Catholic. Middle schools can be found from Cold Lake to Grande Cache to Medicine Hat to High River. Jurisdictions like Rockyview and Red Deer Public Schools have had middle schools for ten years or more. There is, however, evidence that this is
a burgeoning movement.
A number of schools and jurisdictions are making the transition to middle school. Chinook’s Edge School Division, Red Deer Catholic Regional Division and Lethbridge Public Schools adopted a middle school configuration in the past three years. In 2005, Parkland will open its first middle school in Stony Plain.
Another support for the middle school movement in Alberta is the Middle Years Bachelor of Education program currently offered by the University of Alberta. This program is in its seventh year of operation at Red Deer College. Each year, the program fills up rapidly and there is great demand for a placement in this program. Finally, The Calgary Board of Education (2002) has indicated a commitment to building middle schools in new communities. The middle school movement is alive and well in Alberta. For that matter, the middle school movement is also spreading throughout the United States and Canada.
There is one final significant change for middle years teachers in Alberta. The Alberta Middle School Association, an affiliate of the NMSA, has changed its name and organization. The Middle Years Council of the Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA) began official operation at its inaugural conference, April 28-30 in Edmonton, Alberta. Becoming a specialist council of the ATA is an exciting move, for it can potentially push the middle years concept further into the mainstream. The council will continue to be an NMSA affiliate, but is hopeful that being connected to the ATA will make the council an even stronger voice for middle years teachers and students.
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