Premier Doug Ford said his government is getting "back to basics" with a new math curriculum for elementary school students that will include coding, mandatory learning on financial literacy and developing "social-emotional learning skills."
The release of the new curriculum also came with the announcement on Tuesday that standardized testing for Grades 3 and 6 students would be cancelled for the 2020-21 school year as teachers will be expected to switch over to the new content in September. And while the government defended its move to roll out a new curriculum during the COVID-19 pandemic, unions and the opposition criticized the decision and said educators need more than two months to prepare.
"When I became premier I made a commitment to parents, I promised you that we’d get back to basics, I promised our kids would learn the fundamentals once again so they could succeed in today’s world, because the system we inherited was failing them," said Ford, who campaigned on revamping the math curriculum and moving away from what has been described as "<a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/provinces-stick-with-discovery-math-despite-back-to-basics-push/article16250862/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">discovery math</a>."
Several government officials noted that the math curriculum for Grades 1 to 8 students hadn't been updated since 2005.
"The world has changed since then and so must Ontario’s curriculum to keep up with the job market, with the future economy," said Education Minister Stephen Lecce, who was back at Queen's Park on Tuesday following a couple of weeks of self-isolation after learning he came into contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19.
The new curriculum will be organized into six different areas or strands:
<ul>
<li>Social-emotional learning skills and mathematical processes: this will be applied as part of the other five strands, and the government says it's aimed at helping students develop confidence, cope with challenges, learn from mistakes and think critically</li>
<li>Numbers: understanding basic "number facts" like multiplication of numbers and types of numbers like fractions and decimals, and be able to use them in everyday life situations</li>
<li>Algebra: analyze real-life situations using patterns and algebraic expressions and learning coding</li>
<li>Data: organize, display and analyze data to make arguments and decisions, recognize when data is misrepresented and create infographics</li>
<li>Spatial sense: learn about measurement and geometry, including measurement units used in the digital world such as terabytes or nanoseconds</li>
<li>Financial literacy: learn about the value and use of money, how decisions have an impact on personal finances and concepts such as saving, credit, investing and consumer awareness</li>
</ul>
Lecce said the focus of the new math curriculum will be on "fundamental math concepts and skills," which includes learning and recalling "math facts" related to multiplication, for example.
"Yes parents, that means memorizing times tables is back for our kids," the minister said.
He said the first strand was introduced because math can be "challenging and a common source of frustration" for many students and the goal is to help young learners "feel confident."
As for coding, Lecce said this would offer students a "competitive advantage." An outline of the curriculum said coding skills will be used to "to improve problem solving and develop fluency with technology." A Ministry of Education official explained that for Grade 1 students this could mean learning about moving something from one point to another, such as using arrows to have a caterpillar move two steps forward and then two steps to the right.
The financial literacy section means Grade 4 students will start learning about saving and spending, Grade 5 students about how to budget and Grade 6 students about financial planning, Ford said.
"These are everyday skills needed for lifelong success and that’s something every parent wants for their children," said Ford. "So starting in September parents can look forward to a math curriculum that not only goes back to basics, but equips our next generation leaders and community leaders with the math skills they need to build a brighter future for all of us."
The ministry noted some changes to the the curriculum including the removal of some expectations such as learning about temperature because this is covered in the science curriculum.
Other topics or concepts have been moved between grades. Telling time on a clock was moved from Grade 1 to Grade 3 since students are thought to have a better understanding of repeating patterns at that age, according to a ministry official. Plotting co-ordinates on a grid was moved from Grade 6 to Grade 4 to give students a better grasp on the movement of points or things.
"We know that many of the jobs of tomorrow and today will increasingly require the skills and knowledge that the old curriculum just wasn’t addressing," said Lecce.
There will also be a change on report cards, with educators shifting from providing a mark for each strand to giving students an overall math mark with comments on the different areas.
Both Ford and Lecce cited the need for a new curriculum, calling math scores in recent years "unacceptable."
The 2018-19 results from the standardized tests administered by the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) office showed that 58 per cent of Grade 3 students and 48 per cent of Grade 6 students met the provincial math standard — 4-per-cent and 1-per-cent decreases respectively from the average of the three previous years.
Lecce said the government decided to cancel the Grades 3 and 6 EQAO testing for the upcoming school year because he wants students and educators to focus on the new curriculum.
"We don’t want to impose any stress on our young people, we want them to focus on adapting to this learning," he said.
The NDP's education critic Marit Stiles called the government's move to roll out the curriculum this fall "completely irresponsible," saying the "additional burden" on teachers and parents was not being considered.
"Educators are focused on meeting student needs during the COVID-19 crisis, and September will already be a big challenge," she said. "Adding new demands at this point is setting up students to fail."
Stiles called on the government to "pause" the rollout.
The government has signalled that due to COVID-19 classes will likely resume in the fall under a hybrid model of in-person classes and online learning, but boards have been asked to prepare for all scenarios including a full return of face-to-face learning or continued remote learning.
Liz Stuart, president of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA), said while educators want to help students do well in math, a new curriculum is a "significant change" and teachers would need a lot of time, resources and supports to understand and master it.
"Even under the best of circumstances, a lengthy and careful process would be needed to implement it successfully," Stuart said. "The government’s insistence on rushing its release, while we are still grappling with a public health crisis and there is so much uncertainty about how learning will be delivered next school year, is foolhardy, disrespectful, and counterproductive."
She said the government came to the union for input "when decisions had clearly already been made."
While she welcomed the government's move to cancel EQAO testing for Grades 3 and 6 students, something the union has been calling for, Stuart asked for EQAO testing in all grades to be suspended.
The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO) said it's not opposed to a revamp of the math curriculum that better prepares students, but shared OECTA's concerns about the timing.
Education unions have raised concerns during the past few months about gaps in learning among students who were forced to shift to remote and online learning when schools closed in mid-March.
"This spring, the disparity in accessing learning resources has deepened inequities and had an impact on student learning outcomes that will carry over to the coming school year," said ETFO President Sam Hammond in a statement. "Taking care of students and narrowing those gaps must be the priority of educators, which is why the government’s cancellation of EQAO standardized testing this coming year in elementary schools is important. However, more flexibility, time and resources will be needed to effectively implement the new curriculum."
He said more than two months will be needed to successfully roll out the new curriculum and referred to a suggestion by the union to have a two-year implementation plan that would include more consultation, training for educators and developing resources.
Lecce said while he's "cognizant of the environment we're in," the government also thinks using an updated curriculum is critical.
"We're going to be teaching math in September to students one way or another, and our preference as a government is to proceed with reform that actually gives young people...an opportunity to graduate and ultimately get into post-secondary with...a pathway to get a job, a good paying job," he said.
The government said it would be giving educators professional learning opportunities during the summer via webinars and videos, and that training would also be offered throughout the school year. The new curriculum is part of the government's four-year <a href="https://www.qpbriefing.com/2019/08/28/government-decries-low-math-test-scores-blames-the-liberals/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">math strategy</a>.

‘Memorizing times tables is back for our kids,’ says education minister as government unveils new ‘back to basics’ math curriculum

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