Divisions get math money from province

School communities that scored poorly on last year’s Grade 12 pre-calculus exams are receiving more than half a million dollars combined to improve students’ skills.

Manitoba Education is handing out $610,000 for “math supports,” based on the results of the 2023-24 provincial tests, the Free Press has learned.

The average student’s grade in advanced mathematics dropped about six per cent between last year and the three years leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the Winnipeg School Division, the largest of its kind with roughly 2,500 final-year students currently registered in 13 high schools, that difference was upwards of seven per cent.

“Math is a practised sport, just like soccer, just like the cello, and we need to provide time for students, with passionate adults, to practise, to make mistakes and to get feedback,” said Matt Henderson, chief superintendent of the district that encompasses inner-city and central schools in Winnipeg.

WSD is currently hiring part-time math club coaches at a rate of $30 per hour.

The posting is targeted at student teachers, internationally trained educators, retirees and educational assistants who have “a genuine love of math.”

The division is looking for people to support Grade 12 students to build confidence and competence while preparing them for the provincial achievement tests that are worth 20 per cent of their final course mark, per the bulletin that closes on Friday afternoon.

Henderson confirmed WSD was promised extra funding for numeracy initiatives and directed to use it to support communities that need it the most.

He’s been collecting feedback to respond to the education department with a plan and desired budget.

Asked about how they would spend extra cash, teachers have shared a wide-ranging wish-list, from extra hands-on tutoring for their students to personal release time to engage in professional development, Henderson said.

Current Grade 12 students were halfway through Grade 7 when the provincial government cancelled classes in March 2020. Many of them participated in extended periods of remote learning over the following two-year period.

Manitoba Education informed stakeholders last week that it was reallocating $8.9 million that was identified following an annual budget adjustment process. The bulk of the funding is being dispersed based on enrolment, transportation needs and socio-economic indicators.

A spokesperson for the department of education indicated 26 divisions will receive a combined $610,000 for math-related initiatives based on their Grade 12 pre-calculus marks. No additional rationale was provided.

“School divisions have been given flexibility to use this funding in a manner that best responds to their local needs, which could include hiring tutors, professional development for teachers, and building teacher capacity,” the spokesperson said.

Mathematician Anna Stokke said the internal announcement appears to be an attempt to inflate scores via study cramming ahead of the second semester tests.

“The province needs a better, long-term plan to fix math scores,” said Stokke, a professor of mathematics at the University of Winnipeg.

“Preparation for Grade 12 math and pre-calculus really starts in K to 8.”

Stokke has been a vocal critic of the province’s recent decision to loosen teacher certification requirements and no longer require elementary educators to complete six credit hours of university-level math.

In addition to reiterating calls to restore that training component, the professor called on the province to focus on recruiting more teachers who have strong math backgrounds and renewing an emphasis on helping young students master prerequisite skills.

The Mountain View School Division recorded the lowest pre-calculus average in the province in 2023-24. Senior leaders in Dauphin did not respond to multiple requests for comment about their plans to bolster math scores.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca