Alberta to invest $143M in classroom support for K-6 schools.

Alberta will invest $143 million to create 476 'complexity teams' in K–6 classrooms after data from 89,000 classrooms in 1,549 schools showed rising classroom complexity; each team will include one teacher and two educational assistants.

Alberta is allocating $143 million to create 476 new complexity teams in elementary schools to provide more in-class support for K–6 students and teachers. The decision follows data collected from 89,000 classrooms in 1,549 schools that identified increasing classroom complexity. Each team will include one teacher and two educational assistants and will be placed in kindergarten-to-Grade 6 classrooms. The province says the teams will offer help with academic, behavioural, social and emotional needs and can draw on additional specialists when required. Key details: - Funding totals $143 million, with $129 million directed to schools identified as highest priority for complexity and $14 million for schools facing unique challenges. - The initiative will create 476 complexity teams, each composed of one teacher and two educational assistants, focused on in-class support for K–6 students. - The data set covered about 89,000 classrooms in 1,549 schools; the province reports an overall average class size of 25 students, with kindergarten–Grade 3 averaging 22, Grades 4–6 averaging 25, Grades 7–9 and 10–12 averaging 26, and rural schools averaging 23 compared with 26 in urban/metro schools. - The province identified 5% of classrooms as high priority for complexity and 36% as medium priority. Complexity is measured by the number of identified student-need categories in a class; categories listed include English as an additional language, mild or severe needs, individualized program plans, First Nations, Métis and Inuit students, gifted students, refugees, students on wait-lists for assessment, and other factors. A classroom is considered high complexity if it includes seven or more of these categories. - More than half of the new teams will go to metro school boards. The Calgary School Division is set to receive 118 teams, the Calgary Roman Catholic Separate School Division 53, the Edmonton School Division 101, and the Edmonton Catholic Separate School Division 42. Summary: The investment is intended to add in-class support in kindergarten-to-Grade 6 classrooms and to direct most resources toward schools identified as higher priority for complexity. The Class Size and Complexity Cabinet Committee will continue reviewing the data and working with school boards to develop longer-term solutions.