Student support enhanced through Class Size Initiative
Alberta's students are benefiting from the addition of quality teaching staff and lower class sizes across the province. For the third consecutive year, the government's investment in the Class Size Initiative (CSI) has made a significant impact on the province's K-12 education system.
Over the last three years, school jurisdictions have hired or retained over 2,500 teachers through Class Size Initiative funding
Class Size Initiative survey results for the 2006-07 school year (reported by school jurisdictions) show that the vast majority of provincial class size averages are at or below the Alberta Commission on Learning's (ACOL) five-year guidelines in all categories, with the exception of K-3. The provincial average in this category is 18.6 students per classroom while the ACOL guideline is 17.
Some challenges still exist in meeting the ACOL targets. Issues include enrolment growth and teacher availability. As well, jurisdictions continue to seek an optimal balance between the learning needs of students in high school while striving to reach the recommended K-3 averages.
The government has invested $322 million in the initiative over the last three fiscal years and will continue to provide funding in support of the Class Size Initiative. Students continue to receive a quality education from the province's professional teaching staff in learning environments where more student support, through the CSI, has been enhanced.
Provincial class size averages in all subjects in the last three years.
| 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07* | ACOL 5 Year Guidelines | |
| Provincial Average | Provincial Average | |||
| K to Grade 3 | 19.7 | 19.4 | 18.6 | 17 |
| Grades 4 to 6 | 22.3 | 22.0 | 21.4 | 23 |
| Grades 7 to 9 | 22.7 | 22.7 | 22.6 | 25 |
| Grades 10 to 12 | 23.0 | 23.0 | 23.1 | 27 |
*Individual school board results are available here: Average Class Size by Jurisdiction.
Backgrounder
Class Size Reduction Initiative Highlights
- Government has committed $322 million over the last three fiscal years, including $154.3 million for the 2006-07 fiscal year.
- 2,518 new teachers have been hired or retained.
- 1,452 schools across the province are included in the 2006/2007 small class size reduction initiative survey.
- 365 schools are excluded from the survey, as they are not organized into traditional classroom settings. These include outreach and Hutterite colony schools and other programs, such as virtual schools.
- 42 videoconferencing classes were reported by 17 jurisdictions. The average size of these classes was 9.5, mainly reported in Grades 10-12, which are included in the survey results.
- Jurisdictions were required to post reports of their verified class size averages (for core and all subjects) to their Web sites by January 31, 2007.
