DECISION-MAKING AUTHORITY FOR THE PILOTING OF COURSES OR PORTIONS OF COURSES DEVELOPED BY ALBERTA EDUCATION In the development of new courses or portions of courses, piloting may be necessary. The process for approval to pilot courses in whole or part shall be as follows:
requests to pilot are received in writing by the Director of Curriculum and Resource Support,
the Board approves pilots of new courses,
the Director of Curriculum and Resource Support authorizes advertising for participating sites and teachers,
the Director of Curriculum and Resource Support approves the pilot project for the particular school, and
the Director of Curriculum and Resource Support sends approval letters to the requester, with copies to the pilot school and teachers (as appropriate):
Central Services staff
participating teachers
The following criteria shall be used in determining approval for Division involvement in the piloting of:
Alberta Education courses or portions of courses:
expectations and measures for the pilot course have been defined,
Division support exists for the expectations,
resources have been identified,
duration of the pilot has been specified, and
measures to monitor the process of the pilot have been developed.
authorized courses or portions of courses:
the course is consistent with Division priorities,
the rationale for the course is presented,
the course addresses identified Division needs,
assessment strategies consistent with Division expectations are identified,
instructional resources are developed and/or identified,
the duration of the pilot is specified, and
measures to determine the effectiveness of the pilot are identified.
The following criteria shall be used for selection of schools and teachers involved in course pilots:
the teachers have the required skills, knowledge, attitudes and interest,
the task of piloting is a reasonable portion of a teacher's assignment,
opportunities are provided for a suitable range of participants/schools, and
the school's infrastructure and resources are compatible with that required to fully implement the pilot.
EVALUATION OF PILOTS OF COURSES OR PORTIONS OF COURSES Pilots will be monitored and evaluated by the Division.