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Barrhead north trustee candidate favours curriculum redesign

Four years ago Jennifer Tuininga decided to run as Pembina Hills Public Schools (PHPS) trustee because she wanted to better facilitate communication between the board and the various communities they serve.
Jennifer Tuininga
Jennifer Tuininga

Four years ago Jennifer Tuininga decided to run as Pembina Hills Public Schools (PHPS) trustee because she wanted to better facilitate communication between the board and the various communities they serve.

It is also a large part of the reason why she decided to let her name stand for the Oct. 16 Municipal Election where she will be elected by acclamation.

In our ongoing series on PHPS and municipal councillor candidates, the Leader invited Tuininga to tell constituents about her views on education and the direction she would like to see PHPS go.

On the topic of curriculum redesign, a process that Alberta Education began in 2013, Tuininga said it is something that needed to be done.

“The current curriculum ranges from eight to 30 years old, which means that some of the subject areas pre-date the arrival of the Internet. In developing various subjects at the same time the opportunity is there to have linkages between subject areas.” Tuininga said, noting a PHPS teacher is involved in the process. “We have a curriculum support teacher, and are focusing on content around literacy, numeracy and First Nations, Métis, and Inuit expectations in the new curriculum.”

We also asked Tuininga on her opinion on the Provincial Achievement Test (PAT). In 2013, then education minister Jeff Johnson announced they would be phasing out the tests and replacing them with a new exam, called student-learning assessment (SLA). The process was to be completed by 2017, but so far the SLAs haven’t been put into full practice.

“The Grade 6 and 9 tests [PATs] provide our schools and teachers with good feedback on their program goals and how to support students within their coursework,” she said. “In grade 3 our teachers are able to use the Student Learning Assessments as a tool to learn more about a student’s development.”

In our Oct. 3 issue, we asked Barrhead south trustee candidate Kerry McElroy his opinion on PHPS trustees decision to remove the reciting of the Lord’s Prayer in three of its schools — Dunstable, Busby and Pembina North Community School.

In the fall of 2015, a parent whose child attended Busby School raised concerns about the Lord’s Prayer being recited which led to the practice being suspended at Busby and the issue being examined at Dunstable and Pembina North in Dapp. Trustees voted that the schools could continue the practice citing the majority of the parents wished it to be continued and that they had the authority to allow it under the 1909 Alberta Act.

But in May 2017, trustees banned the practice, following an in-camera session, after a complaint was filed against Pembina Hills Public Schools under the Alberta Human Rights Act.

“This issue was brought to the board table, and the board made a decision informed by our communities and administration. We are responsible for providing excellent education to our students, not taking on complex and expensive constitutional challenges,” she said.

As for what some of the other challenges the new board will face, Tuininga said they will need to continue working with Alberta Education to fulfill the Alberta Distance Learning Centre’s service agreement mandate.

She added PHPS need to continue to develop its knowledge around the division priorities of literacy, numeracy, student-teacher relationships and diversity in order to ensure the success of every student and to be ready to enact policies changes where required upon the release of any new legislation regarding the School Act.


Barry Kerton

About the Author: Barry Kerton

Barry Kerton is the managing editor of the Barrhead Leader, joining the paper in 2014. He covers news, municipal politics and sports.
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