What schools to be part of pilot to be announced end of May
The Anglophone School District – West (ASD-W) proposed a pilot school calendar for the 2025- 2026 school year involving fewer days for students, and parents are not happy with the idea of their children being in school less.
The consultation document sent to parents states that the pilot calendar was proposed to increase student achievements, support teachers’ retention and recruitment, improve staff well-being, and foster staff collaboration and planning. Parent/Student Support Committee (PSSC) members at various schools are collecting feedback from parents to present to the school administrations.
“Reports show that our New Brunswick education system is upwards of years behind other provinces. If this is the case, how would decreasing our children’s teaching hours benefit their education?” said a parent who wishes to remain nameless.
The current statistics from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) indicate New Brunswick students’ skills are declining in reading, math, and science and are one and a half years behind their peers in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia.
The same statistics show the average 2024 success rates: literacy rate for Grade 4 English Prime is 56 per cent, French immersion is 75 per cent, and the Grade 5 Numeracy Prime is 53 per cent.
The PISA study says 28 per cent of students believe their teachers took their interests and strengths into account, and 42 per cent say their work is “just right” in terms of difficulty.
The pilot calendar aims to give teachers more time to plan their lessons tailored to students’ learning goals and to provide educators with time to collaborate with their colleagues.
“My understanding is that there’s a great deal of research suggesting that the quality and sustained professional learning can help improve instructional practices that, in turn, would help improve student achievement…this proposed schedule will provide some much-needed time for professional learning opportunities and collaboration,” said Paul MacIntosh, the Director of Communications for ASD-W.
The parent who reached out to the River Valley Sun but does not want their name used said they believe other factors were not considered. They said the new schedule could force families to take time off work due to the lack of daycare space in the area to sustain the expected number of new children.
“In this already struggling economy, it could be detrimental to some families,” said the parent.
They believe the proposed schedule would have taken away a safe space for some children, as school can be a safe space for some children who do not have a secure living environment at home.
“There are also many children whose safe places are in the school system. Right now, they’re safe at school five days a week, changing this could put these children in more risk,” said the parent.
The Anglophone School District will know by the end of the month which schools have agreed to the pilot.
