Alberta’s new math curriculum, explained for parents

Source: Alberta.ca, Mathematics (K to 12 curriculum renewal), sections Current and draft curriculum comparison, What we heard during engagement in 2025, and What we updated, read 22 October 2026.

Example 1: a linear function and its solution set. For f(x) = 2x − 3, find f(4), then find every real x with f(x) ≤ 7 and write the answer in set-builder notation.

1. Read the notation aloud. “f of x equals two x minus three” means: take the input, double it, subtract three. f(4) means the input is 4.
2. Evaluate. f(4) = 2(4) − 3 = 5.
3. Turn the condition into an inequality. f(x) ≤ 7 becomes 2x − 3 ≤ 7.
4. Solve it like an equation, carefully. Add 3: 2x ≤ 10. Divide by 2 (a positive number, so the sign stays): x ≤ 5.
5. Write the set. {x | x ≤ 5, x ∈ R}: “the set of all x such that x is at most 5, where x is a real number.” Every part of the notation says something the sentence says.
6. Check a value on each side. f(5) = 7, which satisfies ≤ 7. f(6) = 9, which does not. The boundary behaves as the set says.

Example 2: a simple quadratic equation. Solve x² = 49, then solve (x − 3)² = 16.

1. Ask what number squares to 49. Both 7 and −7 do, because (−7)² = 49 as well. So x = 7 or x = −7, often written x = ±7. Forgetting the negative root is the classic first mistake.
2. Treat the bracket as one quantity. In (x − 3)² = 16, the quantity x − 3 squares to 16, so x − 3 = 4 or x − 3 = −4.
3. Solve each case. x = 7 or x = −1.
4. Check both. (7 − 3)² = 16 and (−1 − 3)² = (−4)² = 16. Two solutions, both valid: exactly the “understanding of multiple solutions” Alberta’s comparison table says the draft is aiming for.

# A linear function, its table, and a solution set (ours)

def f(x):
    return 2 * x - 3

print("x   f(x)")
for x in range(-1, 6):
    print(f"{x:<3} {f(x)}")

# Which whole numbers from -5 to 10 satisfy f(x) <= 7?
solutions = [x for x in range(-5, 11) if f(x) <= 7]
print("f(x) <= 7 for", solutions)
print("Set-builder form: {x | -5 <= x <= 5, x is an integer}")

1. Find out which curriculum the class is using. For Kindergarten to Grade 6 it is the new one. For Grades 7 to 9 in 2026 to 2027, ask the school whether the math class is piloting the draft; Alberta set a 27 November 2026 deadline for schools to tell it about optional piloting.
2. If your child is in a Grade 9 pilot class, note the PAT rule. Alberta’s Grade 9 math bulletin says pilot classes “will not be required to write the Grade 9 Mathematics Provincial Achievement Test” in 2026 to 2027.
3. If your child is in Grade 6, expect the PAT in the new curriculum’s terms. The Grade 6 math PAT is organized by the new organizing ideas, starting with Number.
4. Watch the bridge years. A student finishing Grade 9 on the 2016 curriculum in June 2027 and a student finishing on the draft will reach Math 10C with different experience of functions and quadratics. Gaps are fixable; they just need noticing.
5. Practise notation, not just answers. Ask your child to read an expression aloud and to write one sentence as symbols. Both directions matter under the new curriculum.
6. Use Alberta’s own material. The K to 6 curriculum and the draft 7 to 9 curriculum are published on new LearnAlberta for anyone to read, and alberta.ca summarizes each grade.