College Mathematics Project final report recommends provincial numeracy strategy

TORONTO, May 16, 2012 /CNW/ - The final report of the College Mathematics Project (CMP) suggests the need for a provincial numeracy strategy. The project led by a research team based at Seneca College analysed the mathematics achievement of first semester students at all 24 Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology in Ontario.

"We are recommending a provincial numeracy strategy to give our students a solid foundation they can build upon," said Laurel Schollen, CMP Project Director and Seneca's Associate Vice-President Academic-Educational Excellence. "Over the last six years, the CMP has identified issues, created awareness and success strategies that are now being initiated in colleges and boards across Ontario."

The report recommends that the details of the numeracy strategy be discussed by the full range of stakeholders and suggests a number of components for consideration including: a system-wide approach to the assessment and teaching of numeracy in the first semester of college programs; a public awareness campaign to inform parents of the importance of numeracy to society and the economy and to their children's future; and a range of initiatives at the elementary and secondary levels to support a stronger focus on the teaching and learning of numeracy.

The CMP 2011 project included a Provincial Forum, hosted by Seneca College in October 2011, where stakeholders deliberated over questions arising from the research. Canadian and international experts provided insights and best practices from their jurisdictions.

"The CMP identifies the importance of numeracy skills and stresses how crucial it is for students to have a sound understanding of these concepts in the classroom and as productive members of our society," said David Agnew, Seneca President. "This research provides recommendations on how to improve student success and identifies the ongoing need to investigate how students successfully transition to post-secondary education and prepare for their careers and other pathways."

Research findings

Some of the CMP highlights of the research findings:

• 33 per cent of Ontario college students taking mathematics are at risk of not completing their programs due to low achievement in that subject.
• One in 4 of these students are studying college preparatory mathematics which covers concepts initially taught in grades 6 through 8 as part of the Ontario elementary school curriculum. These concepts include:
• Order of Operations
• Fractions
• Decimals
• Percentages
• Ratio and Proportion
• Algebra

More highlights of the report here.

View an infographic of the research highlights here.

Download a copy of the full report and get more information on the CMP here.

This research was conducted by a team from the York/Seneca Institute for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education and was funded by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.

Seneca College Media Relations 
[email protected] 
416-491-5050 ext. 77018