The Government has today announced schools will trial a targeted maths acceleration programme next year to give more Kiwi kids confidence in mathematics.
The trial will be held in both schools and kura across the country teaching maths using the New Zealand Curriculum and teaching Pāngarau using Te Marautanga o Aotearoa. It will run for 12 weeks and cost around $2 million.
“After discovering just 22% of Year 8 students are at the expected standard for maths, we launched our Make it Count Action Plan to give our teachers the tools they need to set students up for success,” said Education Minister, Erica Stanford.
“We’re continuing to supercharge our plan so students who need the most help, can catch up to where they need to be.”
In Term 1 and 2 next year, around 2,000 Year 7 and 8 students who are behind in their learning will take part in an intensive support programme to bring them up to the required curriculum level in maths. The trial will use small group tutoring and supervised online tuition for 30 minutes, up to four times a week for each child.
An evaluation of the trial will inform how to scale it up across the country from Term 3 next year, the Minister said.
“This Government is committed to getting 80% of Year 8 students at or above the expected curriculum level by 2030. We’ve just released a new knowledge-rich curriculum in time for Term 1 next year that sets out a structured, evidence-based approach based on the science of learning.”
“Alongside this, more than 308,000 students will benefit from high-quality, curriculum aligned workbooks, teacher guidance and lesson plans. Our $30 million investment allows every teacher and child to have the resources they need to flourish in the classroom,” Ms Stanford says.
“We have an unrelenting focus on lifting student achievement and closing the equity gap in our education system so all children are equipped with the knowledge, skills and competencies they need to succeed.”
