Alberta government introduces bill to standardize school report cards

EDMONTON — Alberta’s United Conservative government is making changes to standardize school report cards.

Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides has introduced legislation which, if passed, will grant him authority to set guidelines for those report cards.

Nicolaides said Thursday it’s a provincial responsibility and cited confusion he’s heard from parents about the grading scales used in many elementary schools.

“I do hear a lot of questions from parents around the one to four grading system that a lot of school divisions use in elementary, and some continued confusion over what they mean,” he said.

When asked if Albertans can expect a provincewide letter grading system, Nicolaides said they haven’t made any final decisions.

The goal, should the bill pass, will be to have the new rules in place by the fall of 2027 in public, separate, and Francophone schools, although Nicolaides said the province won’t dictate a single format or reporting platform.

NDP critic Rakhi Pancholi said the bill is another example of Premier Danielle Smith’s government interfering with the responsibilities of local school boards rather than helping improve the system.

She said standardizing report cards is not an urgent public concern.

“It astounds me that this government continues to be so clueless about the priorities of Albertans,” she said, pointing to crowded classrooms and children who don’t have necessary classroom supports.

If passed, the bill will also require all school authorities to publicly report details about how teachers are spending their days when students aren’t in class.

Nicolaides said the aim is transparency. He said he’s hearing concerns from parents that teacher professional development days are frequent.

The bill also proposes compelling school boards to create a process for dealing with unresolved parent concerns.

On top of Thursday’s legislation, the provincial government said it is in the process of developing its own online complaint portal to field parents’ concerns about schools.

Nicolaides said the portal will not give the government the ability to directly intervene in how a school division resolves a dispute. He said it’s a data collection exercise to identify broader issues across the province.

Pancholi likened the portal to a “big overarching eye” meant to gather ammunition to target teachers rather than resolve issues.

She said kids, schools, and school boards are different around the province, and already have elected school boards to make sure that what’s happening in classrooms reflects local interests.

“This is a government that loves to set provincial policy based on anecdotes that somebody’s heard,” she said.

In a statement, the Alberta Teachers’ Association said clear communication with families is already part of their work.

“What problem is this legislation trying to solve, and why doesn’t it apply equally to independent schools?” the association asked.

It called the online tool to gather complaints about schools redundant, and a new reporting requirement for professional development days “concerning” because it suggests teachers aren’t using that time responsibly.

The association added that every new government initiative demands teachers’ time and attention which could instead be directed toward student learning and support.

There are other proposals in the bill that impact licensed child-care operators, also part of Nicolaides’ portfolio.

Pancholi said the NDP was pleased to see the government taking action in the bill to ensure parents are notified about serious incidents in child-care facilities.

The bill comes after an Edmonton child-care operator took two months to inform parents about sexual assault allegations last year involving a worker. The incident sparked calls for reform from parents.

Currently, providers don’t need to inform parents — only to post a notice — when these incidents are flagged by a licensing officer, and a safety plan is not legally required.

Nicolaides’ legislation would change that and, if needed, give the authority to the government to post notices publicly.

Still, Nicolaides acknowledged they may be limited in sharing information if there are active criminal investigations.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 29, 2026.

Lisa Johnson, The Canadian Press