IM-Stokke_2023_0920.pub

In almost all provinces, the proportion of students performing at the lowest levels has increased since 2003 and has more than doubled in some. [...] I will outline four recommendations for reversing the trend: Provincial governments should ensure that math teaching practices are aligned with the science of learning; improvements should be made to math curricula; transparency and accountability in reporting student achievement should be a priority and last but not least, provinces should insist on smartphone bans in schools. [...] A corrective shift is now happening in reading, with educators and policy makers now recognizing the importance of phonics and other principles from the science of learning. [...] Moves to remove provincial assessments and reduce transparency in communicating students’ performance to parents are misguided and should be reversed. [...] Student fluency with math concepts, such as basic facts and fraction arithmetic, in early and middle years place them on the trajectory to algebra, which is the foundation for the higher-level mathematics required for quantitative careers.