Extra math help on the way for some area elementary students

Some students in Grades 3 and 6 classes in 11 Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board elementary schools will soon receive help in improving their math skills.

Those schools, listed in a report prepared for the board’s regular meeting held Wednesday evening, are:

• Holy Name of Jesus in Hornepayne (Gr. 3)
• St. Basil’s in White River (Gr. 3)
• Sacred Heart in Espanola (Gr. 6)
• St. Basil in Sault Ste. Marie (Gr. 6)
• Our Lady of Lourdes in Sault Ste. Marie (Gr. 6)
• Holy Family in Sault Ste. Marie (Gr. 3 and 6)
• St. Augustine French Immersion in Wawa (Gr. 3 and 6)
• Our Lady of Fatima in Chapleau (Gr. 3 and 6)
• St. Mary’s in Blind River (Gr. 3 and 6)
• Our Lady of Lourdes French Immersion in Elliot Lake (Gr. 3 and 6)
• Our Lady of Fatima in Elliot Lake (Gr. 3 and 6)

The Ministry of Education identified the schools as priority schools based on Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) data from two years ago.

“Each school may face unique factors contributing to lower test scores, and understanding the specific context is key to addressing and improving performance. The H-SCDSB Mathematics Achievement Plan is designed to tackle any gaps and support the improvement of math scores,” wrote Joe Chilelli, H-SCDSB Superintendent of Education in an email to SooToday.

“Multiple steps are being taken to support students in math at the priority schools. A Math Facilitator visits each school once a week to assist with math periods. The model used is a small group intervention approach, where students work together in smaller groups to problem-solve.

“In the classroom, the focus is on planning and teaching in culturally responsive and relevant ways to engage students and encourage them to take ownership of their learning and progress in mathematics. Additionally, classrooms are providing parents with online resources to help their children at home,” Chilelli wrote.

In April 2023, the Ministry of Education announced a $180-million investment to help improve students’ math, writing, and reading skills.

A report prepared for the board shows that the province’s plan to improve math skills includes:

• Supporting more than 300 educators to improve student learning in math
• Investing in math coaches in classrooms to provide direct support to teachers and students
• Investing in one math lead per board to spearhead math curriculum implementation and standardize training, and provide additional supports for math coaches in the classrooms
• Expanding access to digital math tools that students and parents can access anytime
• Continuing live teacher-led virtual tutoring services focused on math
• Enhancing skills of new teachers through training and covering costs of additional math qualification courses to enhance math fluency and competency.

Every Ontario school board must submit an updated Mathematics Achievement Action Plan by Nov. 15, 2024, including details about board strategies and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

The Ministry has three key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the success of the program, which include:

• Attendance, measuring the percentage of students with an attendance rate of 90 per cent or higher
• Achievement, in which the progress of students in math is tracked as they work toward meeting the provincial standard
• Attitudes and Confidence in Math, in which students' attitudes and confidence in mathematics will be assessed by examining the percentages of those who respond positively to the statement, 'I am good at mathematics,' as recorded on the EQAO questionnaire

H-SCDSB Superintendent Chilelli noted that the math scores in question at the 11 listed schools are based on data from two years ago and that the board has already seen an increase in EQAO math scores at those priority schools over the past year.

“The current data indicates that the schools are moving in the right direction,” Chilelli wrote.