Education (Class Size and Composition) Amendment Act, 2023

Summary#

• This bill changes Alberta’s Education Act to set clear rules around class size and class makeup, and to make that information public each year.

• It also creates a new Commission on Learning Excellence to study education trends and recommend updates and funding approaches.

• Key changes:

  • The Education Minister must create and publish a class size and composition standard within 3 years, and review it every 2 years after that.
  • Every school board (including early childhood programs and private schools) must report, by December 31 each year, class counts, staffing, and class composition details in a set format.
  • The Minister must post each board’s report online within 30 days of receiving it.
  • A 9‑member Commission on Learning Excellence must be set up by December 31, 2024, to research issues like class size, special needs supports, technology impacts, and funding formulas, and report back within 2 years.

What it means for you#

• Parents and caregivers

  • You will be able to see, online, how many students are in classes at your child’s school and how classes are made up (for example, how many students need specialized supports or are learning English or French).
  • Over time, province-wide standards may change class sizes or staffing mix at your school, which could affect individual attention for students.

• Students

  • More public reporting may lead to changes in class sizes or extra support in some classes.
  • If you are learning English or need specialized supports, these needs will be counted and tracked at the class level.

• Teachers and educational assistants (teacher aides)

  • Your school will report each year on the number of classes, teachers, and educational assistants, and which duties assistants perform.
  • Future standards could affect your workload, class assignments, or how many support staff are in each class.

• School boards and early childhood program operators

  • You must collect and submit annual data by December 31 in the required form, including:
    • number of classes, classrooms, teachers, and educational assistants (by set categories),
    • class-by-class counts of students, students needing specialized supports (by set categories), students learning English, and students eligible for French‑language supports,
    • number of teachers and educational assistants assigned to each class,
    • any other required details the Minister sets.
  • The Minister will publish your report within 30 days.
  • You may need new systems or staff time to ensure accurate data collection and reporting.

• Private schools

  • The new reporting rules also apply to registered and accredited private schools.

Expenses#

Estimated fiscal impact: unclear; likely modest administrative costs at first.

• No publicly available information.
• New costs are likely for:
  • boards and private schools to gather, verify, and submit annual data,
  • the Ministry to receive, review, and post reports and to develop and update the standard,
  • running the 9‑member Commission every cycle (member pay and expenses, research, consultations).
• Future costs could rise if the standard leads to smaller classes or more support staff, but the bill does not set specific class caps or staffing ratios.

Proponents' View#

• Public, school‑level data on class size and makeup will improve transparency for families and communities.
• A clear provincial standard will push consistency across schools and help ensure students with higher needs get enough support.
• Regular reviews keep the standard up to date with technology changes and shifting student needs.
• The Commission brings independent advice on what works in classrooms and how to fund it fairly.
• Publishing reports within 30 days creates timely accountability.

Opponents' View#

• Reporting rules add red tape and workload for schools, which could take time away from teaching without added funding.
• A province‑wide standard may be too rigid and may not fit local needs or rural schools with small enrollments.
• Without clear funding, any standard that implies smaller classes or more aides could become an unfunded mandate for boards.
• Detailed class composition reporting could raise privacy worries in very small schools or programs.
• The 3‑year timeline to create the standard may be too slow to address current class size pressures.