Ontario spending $6M to improve math skills and scores
CTVnews.ca
July 10, 2019
The Ontario government is spending $6 million on efforts to strengthen math skills for all students in Ontario, especially for students in under-served communities.
Officials say the initiative will help students develop the math skills they need to succeed and find good jobs when they enter the workforce.
These programs are expected to help students retain and build on the math knowledge and skills they have learned throughout the academic year.
"We are listening to parents and educators,” said Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education. “Ontario students need greater support to strengthen their math skills to achieve success in school and into their careers.”
Lecce said this investment provides young people with access to the skills they need to enter the workforce with confidence, and further underscores our government's focus on STEM in the classroom.
In response to consistently declining math scores in elementary school, Lecce said the commitment is to help improve math scores by investing $6 million for summer initiatives.
Some of the initiatives include:
- Math-focused three-week Summer Learning Programs offered by school boards for students in Kindergarten to Grade 5 who need more support to minimize summer learning loss, build confidence, increase skills, and have greater success during the regular school year.
- Frontier College programs that support the development of foundational literacy and numeracy skills of high-priority students who live in under-served communities, including First Nations and remote communities. These programs also engage parents, volunteers, educators and community organizers to better prepare them in support of these students.
- Math at Home, a virtual summer learning refresher for students and parents. The online resource will help support student learning, mitigate against summer learning loss and ensure parents are aware of opportunities to help prepare their child for success in math.
These initiatives support the government's four-year math strategy, which is focused on fundamental math concepts and skills, and how to apply them.
