UCP AUSTERITY

Majority of Alberta teachers see increase in class sizes: ATA survey

Story by Anna Junker • Yesterday 

Alberta Teachers’ Association president Jason Schilling.© Shaughn Butts


Alberta teachers are seeing an increase in class sizes with greater levels of complexity and diversity of student needs, according to a new survey.

The seventh Pulse Rapid Research Study from the Alberta Teachers’ Association surveyed 1,085 teachers and 165 school leaders between September and October and found 64 per cent of teachers saw an increase in their classroom size, while about 36 per cent of teachers identified they have 30 to 40 students, or more, in their classes.

The largest class size growth was found in Grades 4 to 6, high school science and math, and junior high math and English language arts.

Eighty-five per cent of teachers also reported an increase in the complexity and diversity of student needs compared to last year. The top three complexities were identified as social/emotional, cognitive, and behavioural.

Jason Schilling, ATA president, said the results of the survey are “extremely concerning.”

“We need government to listen to teachers and school leaders and focus on the needs of our students and the government needs to start that work today. Just as teachers and schools have had an agile response to the public emergency health orders during the pandemic, government and school boards must react to the mounting issues in Alberta schools before things get worse.”

In an emailed statement, Education Minister Adriana LaGrange said the province is working closely with school boards to alleviate pressures on teachers by addressing enrollment growth, pandemic learning disruptions, class complexity and access to behavioural assessments.

She said the government is also providing additional funding through a new supplemental enrolment growth grant for school authorities growing by more than two per cent over the previous year and working on strategies to increase educational assistants in classrooms.

“I greatly value and appreciate the work teachers do to support our students and will continue to work with school authorities, the Alberta Teachers’ Association, and other education stakeholders to ensure we address the needs of our school system,” LaGrange said.

Related
‘Stand for public education’: Albertans pack legislature grounds for rally

Danielle Smith met with jeers from some Alberta teachers at UCP leadership forum

The survey found there was also a decline in support for students with exceptionalities, 56 per cent of survey respondents said. Thirty-one per cent of teachers estimated the timelines for speech, occupational therapy, physical therapy and psycho-educational assessments for students would take six months to one year, while 26 per cent believed it would not be completed at all within this school year.

The study also explored the impacts of COVID-19 and the curriculum. Eighty-six per cent of respondents indicated students are struggling with learning and have experienced significant gaps in their curriculum during the pandemic.

Schilling said these findings were identified across all jurisdictions in the province — large urban centres, small urban centres, and rural centres.

“Teachers across this province from border to border are seeing these complexities needs increasing from the pandemic and a lack of support for those,” he said.

“I can’t imagine having a student in my class that needs an assessment in order to provide them support so that they can move forward and be successful at school and not be able to get that assessment within the school year. That’s unacceptable.”

The study also found teachers and school leaders reported compassion stress, compassion fatigue, and unsustainable levels of moral distress.

ajunker@postmedia.com