Kelly Pisek, Director of education at the District School Board of Niagara, and Neil Sheard, Superintendent of the District School Board of Niagara, at the DSBN offices in St. Catharines, Ont., on Friday.Nick Iwanyshyn/The Globe and Mail
When Ontario’s standardized test results were released last month, they pointed to the trouble many students are having learning math − but some boards have been excelling.
Half of Grade 6 students and 42 per cent of students in Grade 9 did not meet the provincial standard for math in the 2024-25 school year, according to data released by the Education Quality and Accountability Office, an arm’s length agency of the provincial government.
These figures are for English-language schools. Students at French-language schools did slightly better.
The EQAO tests students in Grades 3 and 6 every year in reading, writing and math, while Grade 9 students are tested math. Grade 10 students take a literacy test.
In response to the latest results, Education Minister Paul Calandra vowed to appoint a new two-member advisory body that will focus on math, reading and writing to identify “the real causes behind the gaps in achievement.”
Opinion: Ontario has a math emergency
Ontario students faring poorly in math, standardized tests reveal
That panel will also likely identify school boards that are making gains in math achievement, including two that Mr. Calandra singled out for praise during a news conference last month.
“Niagara Catholic and public are doing very, very well,” he said. “They are leaders across the province, frankly, in practically all categories, with the same level of funding [as other boards].”
The methods these boards have adopted to improve students’ understanding of math include a focus on step-by-step instruction, more in-depth professional development for teachers, early identification of students who are struggling and fostering a mindset that encourages students to persevere.
These kinds of strategies have helped some boards to make significant gains in their EQAO math scores in the past few years.
They may seem simple, but they are the sorts of approaches school boards across the province should adopt to help students better understand math, said Nidhi Sachdeva, a researcher and lecturer at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.
“There is no secret sauce here,” she said.
The District School Board of Niagara identified math as an area to focus on more than a decade ago, said Kelly Pisek, the board’s director of education.
The District School Board of Niagara offices in St. Catharines.Nick Iwanyshyn/The Globe and Mail
Recognizing that teachers needed more and better professional development to teach math, the board began offering teachers a university-level math course paid for by the board.
Ms. Pisek estimates more than 2,000 teachers have taken the course to date.
“The best intended half-day workshop or after-school workshop just isn’t enough,” she said.
The board also does a midyear snapshot of students in Grades 3, 6 and 9 that is like a practice version of EQAO tests.
It allows students to be more comfortable taking the test and gives teachers and administrators an understanding of how students are faring, said Neil Sheard, superintendent of student achievement and well-being at the board.
Teachers are then able to take that data and create intervention plans for the students so that teachers can address weak spots before students take the EQAO tests, he said.
The success of these and other approaches adopted by the board is evident in its latest EQAO results in math: 79 per cent of Grade 3 students met the provincial standard, compared with the provincial average of 64 per cent.
Among Grade 6 students, 71 per cent met the standard, compared with the provincial average of 51 per cent.
Grade 9 students didn’t do as well, with 66 per cent meeting the standard, but that is higher than the provincial average and, tellingly, a 15 percentage-point improvement over the scores from the 2022-23 school year.
Explicit learning has been a central feature of the Niagara Catholic District School Board’s success in math, says Kim Kinney, superintendent of education.
It is an approach that uses step-by-step explanations, early feedback and clear modelling to help students learn. This approach has also been adopted by the District School Board of Niagara.
“It’s going back and forth with the students to try and see where they are in their understanding,” she said. “It’s not rote. It’s not drill.”
The feedback teachers get from regular assessments allows them to identify students who are struggling in particular areas. Those students then become part of smaller groups where teachers focus on areas of difficulty to help get students up to speed.
“We’re always monitoring what the students are demonstrating for us through the data that they’re producing,” Ms. Kinney said.
The District School Board of Niagara identified math as an area to focus on more than a decade ago, Kelly Pisek says.Nick Iwanyshyn/The Globe and Mail
Dan Koziar, the math lead for the Rainbow District School Board, in Northern Ontario, attributes the gains students there have made in EQAO math scores in recent years to several factors, not least of which is encouraging a growth mindset among students.
Essentially, a growth mindset is the belief that abilities can be gained through effort and perseverance, rather than being fixed traits.
Too often, students will give up on math, telling themselves they are simply not “math people,” or they don’t have a “math brain,” Mr. Koziar said.
Instruction at the board is aimed at dispelling that type of thinking among students.
“It’s really the idea that anyone can do math, and we’re going to give you the skills and strategies that are going to let you do it in a way that’s effective for you,” Mr. Koziar said.
Anthony Bonato, a math professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, said encouraging students to believe they can not only grasp math but enjoy it is crucial.
“Changing the culture is really, really important,” he said.