TORONTO — Students in Ontario elementary schools will soon be required to have one full hour a day of math instructions.
Education Minister Liz Sandals says the province will spend $60 million to help students improve their test results in math, and some of the money will pay for professional development for teachers who specialize in the subject.
The government wants each elementary school to have up to three lead teachers who have a special interest in math, so they can share their expertise with their colleagues.
Each lead math teacher will be released from regular classroom duties for five days for professional development, and some of the money announced by Sandals will help pay for supply teachers to replace them.
There will also be one additional professional development day on math for all teachers starting in the next school year.
Sandals says jurisdictions that have better math scores than Ontario spend four-to-six hours a week on mathematics, so the province's new strategy will include 60-minutes a day, every day, on math.
"Many Ontario schools already do devote 60 minutes a day to math, but others devote significantly less," she said. "It varies quite dramatically, and I think that's part of the issue."
In standardized tests between 2009-10 to 2013-14, Ontario Grade 3 math results declined by four percentage points and Grade 6 results fell seven percentage points.
