By Staff
October 28, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
School board announces evening session for parents who want to improve the grades in mathematics their children are getting.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise to many people.
The Halton District school board will be hosting evening sessions in November to help parents/guardians support their child’s Math learning
Sessions to be held in Burlington, Milton and Oakville
In a report released earlier in the day setting out how various high schools in the Burlington did on a provincial ranking.
The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) released results showing Halton District School Board students performing well in Grade 9 Academic and Applied Mathematics.
The data tells the story. The why is another question.
For Grade 9 Math there are different assessments for students in the academic and applied courses. On the Grade 9 Academic Math assessment, 90% of students achieved the provincial standard, a decrease of one-percentage point over the previous year’s result. In total there were 3,256 students enrolled in Academic Math in 2014-2015.
M.M. Robinson and Lester B. Pearson high school ranked below 80% in the academic stream. The results in the Applied stream are dismal – can students with scores at these levels complete an income tax return?
Are there problems at the elementary level that make it difficult for high school students to get strong mathematics scores?
Later in the day the Halton District School Board announced it will host three evening sessions in November to help parents/guardians understand how children develop understanding and fluency in Mathematics.
Parents/guardians are invited to attend sessions in November where they will learn how to support their child(ren) with Mathematics learning.
The session for Burlington will take place on Wednesday, November 18, 2015 at M.M. Robinson High School (Studio Theatre) – 2425 Upper Middle Rd., Burlington and run from 7-8 p.m.
“Research shows students whose parents/guardians show an interest in, and enthusiasm for, Mathematics will be more likely to develop that enthusiasm themselves and persevere to learn and succeed in Math,” said Tricia Dyson, Superintendent of Education.
The Board continues to provide learning opportunities for parents as a key component in our elementary Math strategy. This strategy is designed to improve student achievement through progressive approaches such as the use of computer-learning technology and Mental math strategies.
Halton District School Board takes a proactive response to low mathematics scores in some schools.
The Board’s three-year plan, started in 2013-14, focuses on leadership and understanding of effective Math instruction through the minimum of 300 minutes of Mathematics Kindergarten-Grade 8 students receive per week. Key parts of the plan involve a broad focus on improving student Math achievement through increased emphasis on professional development for administrators and teachers, and improving students’ conceptual understanding of, and confidence in, Mathematics.
The goal of the strategy is to see an increase in confidence of students and teachers in their ability to go deeper into learning Mathematics while involving parents/guardians in their child’s Math progress through events like Math nights.
