EDMONTON — Alberta’s government says a new draft social studies curriculum for elementary schools is ready to be tested in classrooms this fall.

But the union representing teachers says the curriculum is a fail and the rollout needs to be delayed.

The United Conservative Party government first tried three years ago to update the province’s decades-old curriculum for kindergarten to Grade 6 classes.

It was condemned by many education experts for being age-inappropriate and too focused on memorization of facts.

Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides says the new draft has significantly evolved.

He says not everyone will be happy with it, but the government decreased content and shifted topics to different grade levels after listening to feedback. 

The Alberta Teachers’ Association says the content load is unrealistic, and some concepts remain developmentally inappropriate and inaccurate.

Association president Jason Schilling says the rollout could overload schools that are already overcrowded and understaffed.

The Canadian Press