TORONTO – The number of Ontario students meeting the provincially mandated standard in mathematics continues to decline, according to recently released standardized testing results.
Each year, Grade three, six, nine and ten take standardized tests administered by the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO). Grade three, six and nine students take a standardized math test while Grade three, six and ten students write a provincial literacy test.
The newly released results point to a continued downward trend in the percentage of students meeting the provincial math standard.
Education Minister Liz Sandals told reporters at Queen’s Park Wednesday a large number of elementary teachers don’t have a strong mathematics background and are not as comfortable teaching the subject as they are literacy skills.
“They don’t necessarily have an extensive background themselves in math and science,” she said. “The professional development of teachers actually matters here.”
Only 67 per cent of grade three students and 57 per cent of grade six met the standard in 2013. Those numbers are down from 70 per cent and 63 per cent in 2009, respectively.
However, a higher percentage of students in grade nine are meeting the provincial standard than in 2009. 84 per cent of students enrolled in the academic math course and 44 per cent of those in the applied math course met the standard in 2013; increases of seven and six percentage points, respectively.
– With files from the Canadian Press
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