Alberta to reduce high school core credits, boost options starting in 2028
The province says the changes will give students more flexibility to pursue trades and other interests.
CALGARY · The Alberta government will reduce the number of mandatory core course credits needed to graduate from high school, giving students more room to take optional classes. Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides announced the changes on Friday, saying they will start with Grade 10 students in the fall of 2028. The required core credits will drop from 56 to 47, while the number of optional course credits will rise from 44 to 53. Students will still need a total of 100 credits to earn a diploma.
"These changes will give students more choice to find their passions, prepare for further schooling and rewarding job opportunities," Nicolaides said. He said the move is partly meant to encourage more students to consider trades education. "We certainly are experiencing a challenge of weak participation and enrolment in the trades from younger generations, so we want to encourage that," he said. "If we can create some more space in high school, so that students can experience different opportunities, that would be extremely beneficial."
Under the new framework, Grade 10 students will still take mandatory courses in English, social studies, math and science, along with renewed career and life management and physical education and wellness courses. For grades 11 and 12, individual course requirements will be replaced with broader learning areas. Students will need 10 credits in humanities through English language arts, social studies or a combination, and five credits in either math or science, rather than the current rule of five credits in each subject. There will also be mandatory credits in financial literacy and physical education.
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Physical education will now be mandatory through Grade 12, instead of just Grade 10. The province also plans to mandate new wellness and financial literacy courses for all three years of high school. Nicolaides emphasized that the increased flexibility "does not mean lowered expectations." He said, "Our goal here is to create more pathways to ensure students succeed in their areas of interest." Students will still have to write at least one diploma exam in either English language arts, social studies, mathematics or a science course to graduate.
The new requirements will be phased in over three school years. They will start with Grade 10 students in fall 2028, extend to Grade 11 in fall 2029, and be in place for all senior high grades starting in fall 2030. Nicolaides said this timeline allows school districts time to adjust. He acknowledged that a greater emphasis on options, including trades, may require adaptations to classroom space and additional staffing. "We'll have that conversation (with educators) and see where it takes us, if there's a strong need or desire for additional supports, we'll be happy to work with them," he said.
The minister noted the education system is already grappling with staffing pressures due to a significant influx of students. "We do have some staffing pressures as we're still grappling with a significant influx of students over the course of the past few years, 90,000 students in four short years," he said, adding that 2,100 new teachers have recently been recruited. Last year, the Alberta Teachers' Association said a new kindergarten to Grade 6 curriculum put additional strain on teachers, and has said staffing shortages remain. Bradey Thompson, principal of Fusion Collegiate charter high school, praised the new approach. "Students aren't all headed to the same destination after high school," Thompson said. "When students see a connection between what they're learning and where they might want to go, and when they have choices, they become more engaged, more motivated and more invested in their education." He said students have consistently requested such changes to graduation requirements. The province said this fall it will engage education partners on developing new one-credit physical education, wellness, and financial literacy courses for the 20 and 30 levels, as well as new mathematics 10 and social studies 10, 20 and 30 curriculums.
With files from Calgary Herald, Global News and The Globe and Mail