High School Completion in Alberta

Strategy 1: Personalized Learning

Personalization addresses each student’s abilities and interests

A student’s decision to leave school early can result from a variety of factors related to the individual, school, family and/or community. It’s a process of disengagement that starts early, but can be turned around. Whether it’s through technology, distance learning, infusing culture or language into courses, or more flexible programming, the key is to be more responsive to the needs of individual students.

Current and ongoing Initiatives to support high school completion

High School Flexibility Enhancement Project

In response to input from those in the educational field, Alberta Education has embarked on an exciting project with sixteen high schools throughout the province. The purpose of the four-year High School Flexibility Enhancement Project is to provide participating high schools with the opportunity to organize their schools with the removal of the current 25 hours of face-to-face instruction per course credit restriction.

Facilitated by a Project Manager, these sixteen pilot high schools will work closely with the students, parents and staff of their school communities to develop an approach to school organization that does not necessarily equate time with credit. This will potentially lead to several alternatives for high school delivery and organization that will support Alberta students’ learning, improve completion rates and enhance student achievement. The project will result in recommendations made to the Executive Team of Alberta Education for their consideration in determining if the 25 hours of face-to-face instruction per course credit should be maintained. The High School Flexibility Enhancement Project is informed by and linked to several initiatives in Alberta Education including: The Distributed Learning Strategy, High School Completion, Speak Out, Setting the Direction and others.

Throughout the duration of the project, from the 2009-10 school year to the 2012-13 school year, key education stakeholders will be updated on progress and provide input to the Project Manager through an External Advisory Committee and an Internal Advisory Team from branches of Alberta Education. These two advisory bodies will help to ensure that input from key education stakeholders helps to guide the project. The advisory committees include representation from various branches of Alberta Education, ATA, ASBA, CASS, ASCA and ASBOA as well as FNMI, parent and student representatives.