Alberta is moving ahead with plans to introduce revised high school courses focused on career planning, financial literacy, physical education and wellness as part of the province’s continuing overhaul of its K-12 curriculum. Education and Childcare Minister Demetrios Nicolaides announced plans Tuesday for teachers to begin field testing two updated high school programs: a revised Career and Life Management 10 (CALM 10) course and a new Grade 10 Physical Education and Wellness curriculum. The changes are intended to give students more practical skills and knowledge as they prepare for life after high school. The revised CALM program will place greater emphasis on career exploration, career planning and financial literacy. Students are expected to receive more opportunities to understand different career pathways, make informed decisions about post-secondary education and employment, and develop practical financial skills. The province’s broader career education and financial literacy curriculum also emphasizes workforce readiness, including understanding labour-market realities, in-demand skills and qualifications, volunteer opportunities, work-integrated learning and entrepreneurship. Financial literacy content includes areas such as responsible financial habits and understanding taxes. The proposed Grade 10 Physical Education and Wellness program will take a broader approach than traditional physical education alone. Alberta’s renewed wellness curriculum includes areas such as active living, movement skills, nutrition and food literacy, safety, personal and social development, mental well-being and healthy relationships.
The province says curriculum development is being informed by input from education partners, subject specialists and teachers. For the Grade 10 career education and financial literacy and physical education and wellness subjects, the government gathered input between December 2025 and April 2026 from more than 90 teachers and 35 education partner organizations.
The new high school curriculum will go through additional testing before becoming mandatory. Draft versions are expected to be released for field testing, followed by an optional classroom-piloting phase. The government has indicated that the new programs are expected to become mandatory in fall 2028. Alberta has been taking a more gradual approach to curriculum implementation, with the government adding additional opportunities for teachers to test draft programs and provide feedback before mandatory implementation. The province says the process is intended to identify areas that need refinement and give schools more time to prepare resources and supports. The changes are part of a much larger curriculum renewal process that has already introduced new programs in several grades. Alberta has been progressively updating subjects including mathematics, English language arts, science, social studies, physical education and wellness, and career education and financial literacy.
Other junior-high curriculum changes are also being tested. About 1,200 teachers from public, Catholic, francophone, independent, charter and international schools are participating in pilots of updated programs during the 2026-27 school year. The largest group of teachers involved in the current testing is working with the revised mathematics curriculum. The province says feedback from classroom testing will continue to shape the curriculum before final versions are introduced. Alberta is also engaging First Nations, Métis and Inuit education stakeholders in the development of curriculum content, including areas related to physical education and wellness and Career and Life Management. Some related courses are already graduation requirements for Alberta students. Physical Education 10 is currently a required course for an Alberta High School Diploma, while CALM is also part of the existing graduation requirements. The proposed changes therefore involve significant revisions to the content and structure of these areas rather than simply introducing physical education or career education to high schools for the first time.
The government says the updated programs are intended to help students develop skills they can use beyond the classroom — from maintaining physical and mental well-being to understanding personal finances, exploring career opportunities and making decisions about education and employment after graduation.
If implemented as planned, the changes will give Alberta high school students a stronger emphasis on wellness, financial literacy and career preparation, while teachers will have additional opportunities to test and refine the programs before they become mandatory across the province in 2028.