MAKING THE GRADE
Two area high schools get high marks for math improvements
The numbers aren’t just adding up for two area high schools in math, they’re going way up.
Essex and Cardinal Carter high schools were two of six schools from across Ontario to be highlighted Monday for their dramatic improvements in Grade 9 math results by the Education Quality and Accountability Office.
Over the past five years, Cardinal Carter saw the number of students meeting provincial standards on the EQAO’s Grade 9 applied math test jump from 21 per cent to 66 per cent.
In the academic testing, the percentage rose from 68 to 93 per cent.
At Essex, the percentage of students meeting the provincial standard on the applied math test rose from 39 per cent in 2011-12 to 62 per cent in 2015-16. In academic math, that percentage rose from 70 to 91 per cent.
“It’s nice to be recognized when a lot of people are putting a lot of effort into something,” Essex principal Mike Hawkins said.
The provincial averages for achieving Level 3 or 4 in 2015-16 EQAO testing were 45 per cent in applied math and 83 per cent in academic math.
“When you see marks going up like this, you know what you’re doing is working,” said Sue Latour, math department head at Cardinal Carter. “We work to make it fun in the classroom.”
Latour credits the work being done in grades 7 and 8 for laying the foundation of success at Cardinal Carter.
There’s better continuity in the program as teachers collaborate even between the elementary and high school levels. Teachers are using diagnostic testing to pinpoint weaknesses and devoting more resources to those areas rather than teaching what students already know.
There are homework clubs offered each week for extra help in any subject and numeracy programs offer 10 one-hour sessions — spread over six to eight weeks — to help students prepare for exams. Both programs are held after school.
Latour said the most effective tools include more feedback in grading and the introduction of journaling.
“Instead of just giving a mark on a question, we’ll also write a comment on what’s missing or where the student went wrong so they know for the next time,” Latour said. “We’ve also started journaling where we ask a question and want the students to tell us what they know. It isn’t for grading purposes.
“Instead of assessing kids to death, sometimes descriptive feedback is what’s needed.”
Latour has a website and uses the Reminder App so students and parents can check for assignments, videos and get extra help.
“The Reminder App goes right to their cellphone,” Latour said. “It’s a great communication tool.”
Hawkins said the EQAO results have helped the school identify students’ needs by tracing performance back to Grade 3 and Grade 6 testing.
Teachers can also see patterns where students are struggling with certain styles of questions.
Combined with the local knowledge learned in the classroom, Hawkins said the school’s staff has been able to create solutions.
That road to improvement began with the school’s former math department head Jana Lepage-Kljajic.
Lepage-Kljajic began emphasizing the use of individual assessments and expectations to identify what a student’s learning goals should be.
“Using these learning goals to assess students is something that is taking off across the board and across different subjects,” Hawkins said.
Hawkins also credits programs, such peer mentoring and peer tutoring, for having a big impact.
Grade 11 and 12 students work with small groups and individuals in class or during lunch hours and after school.
And current math department head Peter Phinney has added a new layer by offering extra training for the tutors.
One Wednesday a month, the school designates a period where no new curriculum will be taught. Instead a class review or individual help is offered to shore up trouble spots.
“Math is so sequential that if there’s misunderstandings, that learning gap will just grow,” Hawkins said. “Our staff does an excellent job of closing those gaps.
Hawkins said the staff has also worked at changing the culture around math.
“Everyone can do math,” Hawkins said. “We’re not accepting the idea that a person just isn’t good at math.
“It’s like if you want to be a good basketball player, you can’t miss practice. You have to work at all areas of your game.”