Excerpt from the Literacy Forum Workbook – Background Information for Discussions on a Literacy Framework for Alberta
Alberta has high quality K-12, advanced education and workforce development policies and programs. However, Albertans who are concerned about maintaining and improving our quality of life and economic prosperity have identified the need to develop a comprehensive literacy framework and action plan for Alberta.
The Alberta government's strategic plan includes a focus on the importance of having quality basic and advanced education, life long learning and human resource development to enable Albertans to be responsive, caring, creative, self-reliant and contributing members of society. Quality learning opportunities develop the learning, work and life skills Albertans need to achieve their aspirations and potential in our increasingly knowledge-based economy. The most basic of these skills include the ability to read, write and complete mathematical computations. These are the basic skills or building blocks for effective communication, further learning, problem-solving and active citizenship.
A coordinated literacy framework for Alberta, along with school-aged and adult literacy components contributes to a Pan-Canadian priority of the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC). Through the CMEC's Literacy Action Plan, ministers from each province and territory have committed to work together to increase the literacy levels of all Canadians through a number of actions including the development of literacy frameworks in each jurisdiction.
A coordinated literacy framework will build on the strengths of our current K-12, advanced education and workforce development systems, and ongoing initiatives to enhance our education and training systems.
A Learning Alberta, Alberta's Commission on Learning and the K-3 Numeracy/Literacy Report identified the important role of early learning and the need to break the intergenerational cycle of low literacy/low socio-economic status by investing in family literacy and other parenting supports. A commonly cited reason for non-completion of high school is that students do not have the literacy skills to keep up with an increasingly complex high school curriculum. To address this, a key strategy to increase high school completion is the development of a schoolaged literacy component of the literacy framework. The K-12 component will identify strategies that support literacy development across all subject areas in all grades.
The need to increase literacy and other foundation skills of adult Albertans was identified in A Learning Alberta and Building and Educating Tomorrow's Workforce. Both initiatives recognize that people are the shaping force in sustaining Alberta's economic performance and quality of life. There is a commitment to enhance access to education and training for groups underrepresented in education and the workforce. This is occurring through initiatives to strengthen adult learning and literacy programs in communities, and to assist employers and industry associations to improve literacy and essential skills among employed Albertans. Life long learning and workforce policies and programs are key components in Alberta's literacy continuum.