AERR: Numeracy

Priority 1: Promote Growth and Success for All Students
Goal 2: Success for Every Student
Outcome 2: Students achieve a minimum of one year’s growth in literacy and numeracy

Alberta Education's Assurance Domain: Student Growth and Achievement
Provincial Outcome: Alberta’s students are successful

Annual Education Results Report 2023-24 ǀ AERR Overview

Performance Measures

76% of students achieved the acceptable standard on the Grade 6 and Grade 9 PATs.
87% of students achieved the acceptable standard on diploma examinations.
61% of students achieved the acceptable standard on the Grade 9 PATs – mathematics.
80% of students achieved the acceptable standard on the Math 30-1 diploma examinations.
82% of students achieved the acceptable standard on the Math 30-2 diploma examinations.
88% of parents agree the numeracy skills their child is learning at school are useful.
81% of EIPS teachers, parents and students agree students have access to the appropriate supports and services at school.
80% of EIPS teachers, parents and students agree their child is engaged in their learning.
85% of families agree their child’s demonstrating growth in numeracy.
78% of students agree they’re demonstrating growth in numeracy.
87% of students agree they’re encouraged to do their best.
81% of students agree their individual needs are being met.
95% of families, staff and grade 12 students are confident EIPS implements strategies that support students in demonstrating growth in numeracy.

Additional Information:
AERR: Numeracy (see pg. 21-34)
AERR: 2023-24 EIPS PAT and Diploma Results (see pg. 90)

NUMERACY

Numeracy is an essential skill needed to operate in the everyday world—at home, school, work and beyond. We rely on numbers to solve complex problems; compare costs; budget; tell time; understand patterns, shapes and measurements; and make predictions. As the world becomes increasingly more technically advanced, learners are using, accessing and interpreting information in ways that demonstrate a deep understanding of how numbers influence our daily lives. So, developing and teaching a broad set of numeracy skills is a key priority for EIPS.

Year-long, the Division works to build teacher capacity, create numeracy-rich learning environments and enhance pedagogical practices. It’s integrated into every grade and every subject in ways that engage students in mathematical thinking, problem-solving and reasoning. Students learn concepts and take part in activities that connect their math learning within the context of other curriculum areas. Significant work also takes place behind the scenes to build teacher capacity and enhance pedagogical practice. For 2023-24, the focus was on the Early Numeracy Initiative, Fact Fluency, Re-Thinking Secondary Math, New-Teacher Cohort, and coaching and modelling sessions. EIPS consultants also worked alongside teachers, developing strategies rooted in making thinking visible and engaging students to enhance learning and experience competency development.

Collectively, these efforts are paying off. Students move through each year and are gradually exposed to more mathematical understanding, fluency, problem-solving, and reasoning. Through this, they’re gaining a wide-reaching numeracy skill set and are well-positioned to respond to the world around them—in both familiar and unfamiliar situations. You can see these successes in the 2023-24 numeracy results.

Results

In the area of numeracy, EIPS students performed well overall on the Provincial Achievement Tests and diploma examinations in the 2023-24 school year. In all but one measure, the percentage of students who met the acceptable standard and the standard of excellence in mathematics was higher than the province. It was also higher in both Part A, the non-calculator section, and Part B of the exams. The data also offers growth opportunities, but generally speaking, EIPS is pleased with the results as they indicate the strategies being used by the Division for numeracy are effective—including assessment tools, early intervention, teacher resources and capacity-building initiatives.

elementary

Looking at the overall AEA three-year data for Grade 6 mathematics PAT, the percentage of students meeting the acceptable standard and the standard of excellence is consistently higher than the province. That said, for 2023-24, there are no results for students in mathematics or English language arts and literature. The province cancelled PATs in both subjects for the 2023-24 school year. That’s because of the launch of the new elementary curriculum—it was premature to assess students so soon after the roll-out. EIPS looks forward to analyzing next year’s data.

Historically, though, EIPS has excelled in the subject and above the provincial norms. The Division also disaggregated past data, looking at how students traditionally perform on the Grade 6 PATs’ Part A and Part B sections (see “Table 5”). It, too, shows strong results, and all higher percentages than the province. That’s a good news story for the Division. EIPS eagerly looks forward to the 2024-25 results, in hopes it continues the trend.

TABLE 1: EIPS Grade 6 Mathematics PAT results

Percentage of students who achieve the acceptable standard (A) and the standard of excellence (E)		2018-19		2022-23		2023-24
		EIPS	Alberta	EIPS	Alberta	EIPS	Alberta
Part A: No calculator	A	82	71.8	81.1	68.6	n/a	n/a
Part A: No calculator	E	54.8	43.5	58.2	45.1	n/a	n/a
Part B: Calculator	A	90.3	81.3	88.6	78.4	n/a	n/a
Part B: Calculator	E	24	16.9	26	17.9	n/a	n/a

NOTE: The Grade 6 mathematics PATs were cancelled in 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2023-24. As such, no data is available for these years.

junior high

Moving to the AEA overall measures for Grade 9 mathematics, EIPS’ results—both the acceptable standard and the standard of excellence—are consistently above the province. While higher, there does appear to be a general decline in results, also seen provincewide. For example, in 2023-24, 60.6% of EIPS students met the acceptable standard, 52.7% met it provincially. That’s down by 5.5% and 1.7%, respectively, from the year before. Similarly, for Part B, 72.6% of students met the acceptable standard, and 68.6% met it provincially—down by 2.6% and 2.1%, respectively, from the previous year. EIPS doesn’t know the reason for the decrease yet. However, the Division is exploring why this trend is happening and will identify potential strategies in hopes of reversing it. That said, because the dip was also experienced provincewide, it may be an anomaly for the 2023-24 school year. Time will tell.

TABLE 2: EIPS Grade 9 Mathematics PAT results

Percentage of students who achieve the acceptable standard (A) and the standard of excellence (E)		2018-19		2022-23		2023-24
		EIPS	Alberta	EIPS	Alberta	EIPS	Alberta
Part A: No calculator	A	61.4	51.3	57	47.6	49.3	46.2
Part A: No calculator	E	25.6	21.9	18	17.1	19.3	19.9
Part B: Calculator	A	79.3	74.2	75.2	70.7	72.6	68.6
Part B: Calculator	E	28.7	24	19.5	17.9	18.7	17.6

NOTE: Grade 9 mathematics PATs were cancelled in 2019-20 and 2020-21. As such no data is available for these years.

Similarly, when looking at the data disaggregrated between Part A and Part B, almost all of EIPS’ measures rank above the province. That is, all except the standard of excellence in Part A, which is just slightly below the province, by 0.6%. Overall, however, it’s still good news for the Division. The year before, 18% of students achieved the standard of excellence in Part A. In 2023-24, that percentage climbed to 19.3%, which is significant and positive.

Also interesting, even though EIPS scored higher than the province on almost all measures for parts A and B, the gap between the Division’s results and the province's results is narrowing over time. For example, in 2018-19, the gap for Part A at the acceptable level was 10.2%. In 2023-24, it’s only 3.1%, which is more in line with the rest of the AEA results. All in all, there is certainly room for improvement at the Grade 9 level. The hope, of course, is to eventually see percentages more reflective of pre-pandemic results. As such, EIPS will explore the results further and work to build capacity and resources for teachers to further support students and numeracy achievement throughout the next school year.

Future forward

A week of inspirational math gives students skills and knowledge to better understand the world around them

Schools throughout EIPS hosted Week of Inspirational Math, March 11-15. Divisionwide, students took part in numeracy activities—all aimed at developing a better understanding and appreciation for math. Lesson plans focused on games and hands-on learning exercises geared at teaching students ways to learn from their mistakes, push forward and challenge themselves to reach even greater heights.

Community members were also invited to participate. Weeklong, architects, engineers, healthcare workers, physiotherapists, sports professionals, and more visited classrooms divisionwide sharing inspirational how-to stories about math, what students are learning and its practical applications in the workforce. By the end of the week, students came away with a renewed appreciation for numeracy and logical thinking, reasoning and problem-solving strategies it helps nurture.

senior high

In terms of mathematics, 30-1 and 30-2, the 2023-24 diploma examination results are strong. Analyzing the trends in the data, the percentage of EIPS students meeting the acceptable standard is higher than the provincial average, which is excellent news. Particularly noteworthy are the increases observed in 2023-24, as the results are more in line with the typical averages seen before the pandemic. Again, this is very positive news.

TABLE 3: EIPS Mathematics Diploma Examination results – 30-1 and 30-2

Percentage of students who achieve the acceptable standard (A) and the standard of excellence (E)		2018-19		2022-23		2023-24
		EIPS	Alberta	EIPS	Alberta	EIPS	Alberta
Mathematics 30-1	A	76.5	77.8	76.1	70.8	80.2	75.4
Mathematics 30-1	E	24.7	35	30.6	29	29.1	34.9
Mathematics 30-2	A	78.3	76.4	77.4	71.1	82.1	70.9
Mathematics 30-2	E	17.6	16.7	17.2	15.2	17.6	15.4

NOTE: Diploma examinations were cancelled in 2019-20 and 2020-21—no data is available for these years. In 2021-22, diploma examinations were only written in June, not in January, and were only worth 10% of the overall student mark. In 2022-23, they were worth only 20% of the overall student mark. As such, caution is advised when interpreting the trend data.

Specifically, the number of EIPS students meeting the acceptable standard in Mathematics 30-1 increased to 80.2% from 76.1% in 2022-23—the provincial average was 75.4%. Similarly, the percentage of EIPS students meeting the acceptable standard in Mathematics 30-2 also increased to 82.1% from 74.4% in 2022-23—11.2% higher than the provincial average, at 70.9%. Also impressive, the results for EIPS are the highest they’ve been, even before the pandemic, which, like in literacy, demonstrates EIPS was successful in helping students overcome learning gaps and the strategies in place work.

A slight decline was seen in the percentage of students meeting the standard of excellence in Mathematics 30-1—dropping to 29.1% from 30.6% in 2022-23. However, like the other categories, the result is still higher than pre-pandemic results. Meanwhile, in Mathematics 30-2, 17.6% of students met the standard of excellence, up from 17.2% the previous year. The province’s averages were 34.9% for 30-1, and 15.4% for 30-2.

Interestingly, the diploma examinations now have a written component—introduced in 2018. It’s a unique question format that all students answer, representing a structural shift from machine-scored questions. For the written response, students in EIPS scored 2% higher than the province in Math 30-1 and 6% higher in Math 30-2. To get there, teachers have put considerable effort into devel- oping students’ skills around communication, procedural fluency and conceptual understanding.

Clearly, that work is paying off. It can be attributed to the overall growth seen in 2023-24—along with recent assessment initiatives at the school and divisional levels, strong pedagogy practices and extensive resource development. Collectively, these have helped articulate standards better and prepare students for exam expectations.

building capacity

Supporting early learning numeracy

Throughout 2023-24, significant work went into building capacity in elementary numeracy, including:

Early Numeracy Initiative: A divisionwide elementary professional learning program for schools to share research-based pedagogical best practices. Level 1 focused on foundational number skills and thinking classroom instructional strategies to enhance student growth. Level 2 concentrated on math warm-up activities, exit tickets, self-assessment and thin-slicing math content. Result: Elementary teachers from across the Division gained expertise in engaging math exercises; low-floor, high-ceiling strategies; high-leverage thinking; thinking classrooms; and assessing numeracy.

Fact Fluency: Numeracy consultants put significant focus on elementary fact fluency, an essential component of math proficiency. Most efforts centred on professional learning and followup modelling detailing strategies to better understand number operations through mathematical discourse, problem-solving and numeracy games for incorporating rich tasks, problem-solving activities and vertical non-permanent surface math activities. Result: Overall, the work helped teachers balance student understanding and recalling basic mathematical facts.

Modelling and Co-Teaching: EIPS numeracy consultants created modelling and co-teaching opportunities for elementary teachers, focusing on instruction and competency development. Result: All elementary teachers in the Division had access to these supports, allowing them to engage in classroom-embedded professional learning that reflects best practice.

New Curriculum: Instructional Supports consultants actively engaged with teachers to build capacity around the new elementary curriculum. Dozens of professional learning sessions focused on understanding the new math curriculum and its structure, curriculum standards, prior knowledge requirements, manipulatives, best resources and strategies for approaching mathematical concepts. Result: Throughout the year, close to 200 elementary teachers participated, which helped ensure those teaching the new curriculum had the needed tools and resources for a smooth transition. In addition, all elementary teachers had access to resources.

Teacher Collaboration: EIPS co-ordinated collaboration opportunities for math educators. Topics included problem-solving, vocabulary, making thinking visible, vertical non-permanent surfaces, formative and summative assessments and pedagogy. Result: Participants gained deeper insight and access to resources to teach and assess students more effectively.

Thinking Classrooms: EIPS consultants offered several professional learning sessions focused on how to build thinking classrooms. Result: Math and science teachers explored new ways to implement vertical non-permanent surface activities in the classroom—all aimed at enhancing student engagement, visual thinking and student assessment.

Supporting secondary student numeracy

Throughout 2023-24, significant work went into building capacity in secondary numeracy, providing teachers and staff with instructional ideas, strategies and best practices, including:

Common Exams: A working committee—made up of teachers and consultants—tasked with developing, fine-tuning and piloting the junior high and senior high final exams. Result: Ongoing. Once fully implemented, the common exams will help establish assessment consistency, build teacher capacity and better align assessments with the curriculum.

Modelling and Co-Teaching: EIPS numeracy consultants created modelling and co-teaching opportunities for teachers, focusing on instruction and competency development. Result: All secondary teachers in the Division had access to these supports, allowing them to engage in classroom-embedded professional learning that reflects best practice.

New-Teacher Cohort: Throughout the year, EIPS organized ongoing sessions for junior high math teachers, who are relatively new to their positions, to come together to share best practices and take part in modelling and coaching opportunities. Result: Participants gained confidence in incorporating effective mathematical teaching principles and introducing high-leverage practices into the classroom.

Re-Thinking Secondary Math: A professional learning series for the secondary level, rooted in evidence-based research best practices to address classroom challenges, including rich tasks, competency development and making thinking visible to maximize feedback. Result: In total, 33 secondary teachers gained how-to tips and resources to foster a culture of thinking in their math classrooms.

Student Transitions: Secondary math teachers participated in multiple in-person and virtual learning sessions about student transitions moving to Grade 7 from Grade 6. The content focused on ways to ensure seamless progressions for students. Result: More than 15 Grade 7 math teachers participated in the sessions, and all received a toolkit to support students transitioning from the new elementary mathematics curriculum to the traditional junior high curriculum.

Teacher Collaboration: EIPS co-ordinated numerous collaboration opportunities for math educators. Topics included problem-solving, vocabulary, formative and summative assessments and pedagogy. Result: Participants gained deeper insight and access to resources to effectively teach and assess students.

Opportunities For Growth

An ongoing growth area for EIPS is supporting and developing school-based instructional approaches and embedding strong pedagogy into curriculum resources. One strategy it will use is vertically aligning content between grade levels to establish collaborative teams—critical given the new elementary curriculum. EIPS will also continue to develop curriculum supports and resources for teachers who need them, such as morphology, and prepare for the roll-out of the new social studies curriculum in 2025-26.

In terms of numeracy, the Division will align elementary assessment standards and simultaneously develop teacher capacity in this area. It will also create collaborative teacher-learning opportunities and develop new resources and tools to enhance mathematics achievement results—particularly at the junior high level. As mentioned in the "Results" section, EIPS' Grade 9 math results are strong. However, there is room for improvement, and the Division will work to strengthen results in this area. Additionally, the Division has invested significant effort in developing new Partners for Science Kits to align with the new curriculum. In 2024-25, the Division plans to launch the latest kits with the goal of improving student outcomes.

Finally, ongoing capacity building in literacy and numeracy continues to be a focus area. Throughout 2024-25, EIPS will review, facilitate and support professional learning sessions, and develop professional learning communities to provide teacher collaboration opportunities focused on sharing best practice and evidence-based pedagogical research. The goal: To improve instruction and assessment practice.

Priority Strategy For Education Plan

EIPS is committed to implementing research-based strategies to promote student growth and success. Strategies for 2025-26 include:

Continue to use multidisciplinary teams to support learners with complex needs—across all feeder-school groupings.
Implement high-leverage instructional and assessment practices to support numeracy growth and a culture of thinking across classrooms.
Introduce new tools to enhance recall in math fact fluency and task development.
Continue to build capacity and resources around the new elementary curriculum to ensure smooth transitions for students and teachers—particularly for the new elementary social studies roll-out.
Continue the Division’s work to develop and refine common exams for the junior high and senior high grades.
Continue building new Partners for Science learning kits to support rich curricular experiences.
Continue to build teacher and school-staff capacity in system programs and inclusive settings to ensure all students have access to high-quality programming.
Provide professional learning opportunities to principals and assistant principals to develop instructional leadership skills and enhance school education plans.
Offer focused professional learning opportunities to improve the Grade 9 Provincial Achievement Test results in mathematics.
Continue to support teachers to develop and implement intervention plans that ensure more students demonstrate growth in numeracy.
Establish collaborative teacher-learning opportunities where staff can critically reflect on their practices, share insights and challenge one another to, ultimately, lead to improved teaching practices and student outcomes.