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In this section, five Alberta Stories of Practice illustrate how school authorities are developing, implementing, and refining system instructional frameworks within their local contexts. These stories demonstrate that there is no single approach to building instructional coherence. Rather, school authorities are drawing on collaborative processes, shared instructional language, embedded professional learning, evidence-informed practices, and aligned system structures to strengthen teaching and learning. This section also highlights findings from a CASS research study involving interviews with 47 system education leaders about their perspectives on advancing student achievement in literacy and numeracy. Together, the Stories of Practice and research findings offer practical insights, lessons learned, and promising approaches for system education leaders to consider as they develop, implement, or refine instructional frameworks that support quality teaching and optimal learning for all students.
The CASS study, Advancing Student Achievement in Literacy and Numeracy: Perspectives of Alberta’s System Education Leaders, examined the leadership practices, system conditions, and evidence-informed approaches used to strengthen literacy and numeracy instruction and student achievement across Alberta school authorities. Drawing on interviews with system education leaders representing diverse contexts, the findings highlight the importance of coherent system direction, evidence-informed leadership, embedded professional learning, instructional capacity building, relational leadership, and responsiveness to structural and contextual conditions.
A significant insight from the study was the role of system instructional frameworks in creating greater coherence between system priorities and classroom practice. Participants described frameworks as mechanisms for establishing shared instructional language, aligning professional learning and leadership practices, and supporting greater consistency across schools. Importantly, frameworks were viewed not as static documents, but as evolving structures shaped through collaboration, evidence, professional learning, and ongoing refinement.
The five Alberta Stories of Practice featured in this eLeadership Guide bring these research findings to life. While each school authority’s approach reflects its unique context, collectively the stories demonstrate how collaborative development, aligned system structures, professional learning, evidence use, and relational leadership can transform instructional frameworks from documents into practical mechanisms for strengthening system coherence and supporting optimum learning for all students.
Executive Summary
Presenter: Corinne Kruse, Director of Teaching & Learning
Grande Prairie Public School Division’s Story of Practice is about their journey in developing and implementing a division-wide Optimum Learning Framework designed to strengthen coherence across teaching, learning, and leadership. Grounded in Alberta’s Professional Practice Standards, the framework identifies shared expectations for quality teaching and connects curriculum, planning, instruction, and assessment within the instructional core.
The presentation also highlights how the division has extended this work through Literacy and Numeracy Guiding Documents that provide additional direction for classroom practice and professional learning. Rather than treating these resources as stand-alone documents, the division has positioned them within a coordinated system of instructional support intended to build shared language, strengthen instructional leadership, and increase consistency across schools.
A key feature of the implementation approach is intentional, phased professional learning. System and school leaders participate in structured learning experiences designed first to build foundational understanding and then to deepen implementation around selected priorities. The presentation illustrates how a system instructional framework can serve as an organizing structure for professional learning, leadership development, and instructional support while remaining responsive to ongoing learning and refinement.
Story of Practice Slideshow
Presenter: Terri-Lynn Duncan, Deputy Superintendent
Horizon School Division’s Story of Practice illustrates how a shared instructional framework can create coherence across literacy, numeracy, and instructional practice while maintaining educator professional judgment. The Horizon Optimal Learning Model provides a common language and instructional arc for planning, teaching, assessment, intervention, and collaborative learning, with the goal of advancing student achievement through coherent practice.
Central to Horizon’s approach is the belief that coherence develops through participation rather than compliance. Educators are encouraged to innovate, test new approaches, and learn alongside colleagues and students. Teacher and administrator voice informs ongoing refinement, while effective local practices can be scaled across the system. Embedded professional learning supports this work through administrator learning, division-wide professional learning, ongoing professional development, and collaborative structures that help translate the framework into classroom practice.
Horizon’s experience highlights three important leadership insights: depth precedes speed, giving educators permission to learn and take risks is a leadership action, and instructional frameworks must remain living documents. The framework continues to evolve as teachers, principals, and system leaders use evidence to refine practice and deepen learning.
Story of Practice Slideshow
Presenters: Beverley Barca, Numeracy Coordinator and Karen Lemay, Acting Director of Curriculum and Learning
Northland School Division’s Story of Practice shares its evolving journey to develop coherent approaches to literacy and numeracy instruction grounded in its local context, community relationships, and vision for student learning. The work emerged in response to multiple initiatives, administrative changes, community and school engagement, and a growing understanding of the science of learning.
In mathematics, the division began with a collective pause to reconsider teaching and learning through the interconnected perspectives of thriving students, teachers, classrooms, and leadership. Central to this approach is a view of learning that extends beyond acquiring knowledge to include relationships with others and the land. Leadership focuses on creating conditions that foster curiosity, reasoning, connection, and new possibilities for mathematics learning.
The development of Northland’s literacy framework similarly emphasizes teacher consultation, collaboration, and shared leadership. The process focuses on establishing direction, identifying essential components, creating a unifying document, and supporting implementation across the division. Moving forward, Northland plans to strengthen coherence through a centralized literacy website, a continuum of support, consistent assessment and intervention practices, and continued consultation with teachers. Their story demonstrates how listening, collaboration, local context, and shared leadership can shape the ongoing development of system instructional frameworks.
Story of Practice Slideshow
Presenter: Keith Gamblin, Associate Superintendent, Learning Services
St. Paul Education’s Story of Practice demonstrates how collaborative leadership, evidence-informed decision-making, and sustained professional learning can support the development of system-wide instructional coherence. The division began shifting toward a systems-based approach after recognizing inconsistencies in data collection, reporting, and limited system-level information about student achievement. In 2021–2022, a K–6 Literacy Committee was re-established, bringing together teacher instructional leaders from across the division to co-construct common goals for assessment, data use, and literacy instruction.
The committee’s work led to common literacy assessment practices, increased capacity to use student data to inform instruction, and the ongoing development of a division-wide literacy framework. Implementation has been supported through a literacy consultant, grade-level professional learning, job-embedded collaborative improvement cycles, and partnerships connecting research with practice.
A central lesson from St. Paul’s five-year journey is “process over product.” Broad participation has helped build collective knowledge, ownership, communication, and commitment while allowing the framework to evolve over time. Looking ahead, the division plans to extend this systems-based approach into early learning, writing, Grades 7–12 literacy, and K–9 numeracy, illustrating how an instructional framework can grow progressively as organizational capacity develops.
Story of Practice Slideshow
Presenters: Wanda Fonteyne, Assistant Superintendent of Student Achievement and Kristien Holtby, Assistant Superintendent of Student Support
Wetaskiwin Regional School Division’s Story of Practice illustrates how intentional system alignment can strengthen instructional leadership and support student achievement. Guided by the concept of “simplexity,” the division has focused on identifying a small number of key priorities and creating coherent structures that make complex improvement work manageable and meaningful. Its approach emphasizes system alignment, collaboration, responsiveness to evidence, and success for all students.
Common structures include a Collaborative Response Framework, Quarterly Instructional Reviews, School Results Reports, and cohesive guiding documents. The Quarterly Instructional Review process supports principals in strengthening data literacy and examining school priorities and student achievement evidence with system leaders. A co-developed results dashboard further supports timely monitoring and conversations about achievement, attendance, behaviour, and student supports. These structures are complemented by K–12 literacy and numeracy guiding frameworks, assessment guidelines, and implementation resources that reinforce a coordinated system approach.
Central to the division’s work is relational leadership. Leaders emphasize collaboration, active listening, clear communication, feedback loops, and working with administrators rather than adding to their workload. Wetaskiwin’s experience demonstrates how aligned frameworks, evidence-informed processes, trusting relationships, and sustained communication can create greater consistency while strengthening the instructional leadership capacity of school leaders.
Story of Practice Slideshow