Alberta’s Education Minister announced a series of changes to the province’s math curriculum, in an effort to help students strengthen their math skills.
Minister David Eggen announced Tuesday that starting in November, 2018, high school math diploma exams will require students to show their work – testing that was removed by the PC government in 2010 to save money.
“Sometimes building a new curriculum means you reach back to things that might have worked in the past,” Eggen said, the province said Alberta students have become too reliant on calculators in recent years.
“We will be reinstating the written portion of the Math 30-1 and 30-2 diploma exams in November, 2018.”
In addition, in January, 2018, a non-calculator portion of the Grade 9 mathematics provincial achievement test will be added.
The additions mean students could get partial marks on tests for showing their work.
To help teachers, the province is also introducing a new program. Teachers will be able to access government funding to cover some post-secondary costs for upgrading their math skills. Details on that program will be released later, but its expected teachers will each have access to up to $2,000. Alberta Education said at least $2 million will be allocated towards the program in its existing budget.
Some of the plans announced Tuesday were recommended by the Math Curriculum Review Working Group, a group of post-secondary and high school instructors who offered to help the province study the Alberta math curriculum. Their final report includes six recommendations.
With files from Susan Amerongen
