The math problem Canada needs to solve

Strong math skills are essential for careers that drive the Canadian economy, and early success in math has been shown to predict later academic success and financial earnings. Yet for over a decade Canadian math scores in both the Program of International Student Assessment (PISA) and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) have declined in all provinces — a trend that started well before COVID-19. In several provinces, this slide is equivalent to having lost two or more years of schooling since 2003.

The most recent TIMSS assessment underscores the seriousness of our problem. Canadian Grade 4 students performed below both U.S. students and the international median at nearly every math benchmark level.

The situation is urgent, and provinces need to act now. But the solution is not simply to increase funding. What matters is how money is spent. Research suggests that cumulative spending per student improves academic performance only up to about US$100,000 per student between the ages of six and 15, after which more funding yields minimal benefit. Canada already spends well above that level (at US$125,260). Improving outcomes requires refocusing resources toward strategies that have been shown to work.

Provincial governments can improve math outcomes, but reforms must be guided by evidence and by leaders willing to change course. Too often, governments ask the people who created the problem to fix it. When implementers are invested in the status quo, reforms are often undermined.

Some reforms can be implemented right away. A mandatory times tables check by the end of the fourth grade, following the recent policy in England, and universal math screening for all K-8 students would be low-cost, high-impact policies. When students have not memorized times tables, they often struggle later because calculating basic number facts consumes working memory needed for more complex math.

In medicine, children are screened early to catch problems before they become more serious. Universal math-screeners serve the same purpose. These brief diagnostic assessments, given two to three times a year, identify students at risk of falling behind so they can receive targeted support. Much of math is cumulative, with each new concept relying on mastery of earlier skills, so knowledge gaps compound quickly. Times tables checks and math-screeners can prevent gaps from widening.

Beyond that, how math is taught in Canadian schools needs to change. Teachers have been encouraged to rely on inquiry- or discovery-based approaches not supported by high-quality research. A large body of research does show, however, that explicit, teacher-led instruction is more effective, especially for beginners and students who struggle.

Research on how humans learn draws on cognitive science and educational psychology to provide guidance on effective instruction. Provinces should rely on this research for direction on teaching methods. Math outcomes will not improve if students continue to be taught using ineffective approaches.

Even worse, the commercial math-education sector is flooded with ineffective math programs and teacher professional development marketed as “research-based.” But that can mean almost anything, from small case studies to opinion framed as research. Governments should set clear standards for what qualifies as evidence-based and prioritize funding for programs that demonstrate improved math achievement in rigorous studies. Taxpayer dollars should not fund ineffective math programs.

Provinces also need better data on student progress and clearer curricula that prioritize crucial math content. For example, fraction arithmetic, which is essential for success in algebra — the gateway to higher-level math — is introduced several years later in Canada than in high-performing countries.

Standardized tests, typically administered near the end of the school year, are essential for evaluating system effectiveness. They provide transparency for parents and the public. Systems that use them to compare results across schools are associated with higher student achievement.

In some provinces, standardized testing is infrequent. For instance, Manitoba administers only one such test at Grade 12. Poorly designed tests also fail to measure critical content. Ontario’s Education Quality and Accountability Office permits calculators as early as Grade 3, making it impossible to know whether students have mastered foundational skills. Provinces need frequent, high-quality standardized tests, and need to use the data to drive improvement.

Finally, it should really go without saying that future teachers need to know the math they are expected to teach. Because K-8 teachers are typically generalists who teach several subjects, provinces should help strengthen their math knowledge with math licensure exams and increased math requirements during teacher education.

The time to fix math education in Canada is now. Our kids and our economy are counting on us.

Anna Stokke, a mathematics professor at the University of Winnipeg, is author of the C.D. Howe Institute’s Getting Math Instruction Right: Strategies for Improving Achievement in Canada.