Math test for teachers ‘won’t affect student outcomes,’ union says

The new leader of Niagara’s public high school teachers’ union says a mandatory math test for new educators won’t add up to better grades on report cards.

Shannon Smith, Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation Niagara district president, said a lot of information needs to be calculated since the province recently announced people entering the education field will need to take a standardized math test and score at least a 70 per cent grade before the 2020-21 school year starts.

“I don’t know what the end goal is to take a math test, but it won’t affect student outcomes,” Smith said.

She said teachers are trained in the subjects they intend to teach and that the incoming numbercrunching test isn’t necessary for those who aren’t focused on math.

“There are some concerns, certainly, that the very best art teacher out there might not be able to get certified to teach,” said Smith.

Last August, the Education Quality and Accountability Office, which administers standardized assessments in the province, said math test scores among public elementary students in Ontario have been decreasing over the past five years.

EQAO data showed 49 per cent of Grade 6 students met the provincial math standard last school year, down from 54 per cent in 2013-14.

Among Grade 3 students, the EQAO said 61 per cent met the provincial standard in 2017-18, down from 67 per cent in 2013-14.

Smith taught for several years beginning in 2003 at RidgewayCrystal Beach High School in Fort Erie. By the time she landed a job teaching music, physicaleducation and history she hadn’t taken a math-related course since calculus was on her firstyear schedule at university six years prior.

An assessment like the one being proposed by the province would have seemed abnormal, she said.

“I never took a math test, but I also never took a French test because those weren’t the things I was focused on,” said Smith, who has been with OSSTF Niagara in other roles for the past four years.

“If I was told I needed to take a math test to teach phys-ed, it would’ve been very stressful,”

she said.

Smith also said it is her understanding that incoming teachers will be able to take the test multiple times until they reach the required 70 per cent mark, for an unspecified fee.

Jada Nicklefork, Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario Niagara district president, said the math assessment for new teachers is the “wrong approach” for many of the same reasons shared by Smith.

Other subjects are just as important, and zeroing in on math seems odd to her.

“Should we all have to take a history test? It doesn’t make sense,” she said.

She also believes additional courses for educators offered by District School Board of Niagara have been helpful.

“They’ve been putting a lot of money and resources into professional development for teachers.”

Nicklefork said ETFO doesn’t believe in standardized tests for students and teachers, as they are usually taken on one single occasion.

If someone is distracted by other matters in their own lives or at work or school it can show in the results, she said.

“It’s just indicative of what they can do for that one day.”

The math proficiency test will offer a consistent measure of teacher understanding of math content knowledge, and an opportunity to increase confidence in their ability to teach math, said Ontario Ministry of Education spokesperson Sandra Zeni.

“Having a solid understanding of mathematics will ensure our students are prepared with skills such as problem-solving, communication and financial literacy — everything students will need for their careers and everyday living,”

Zeni said the new testing will “give parents confidence that the government is working to ensure that Ontario continues to have one of the best education systems in the world.”