1007 Mathematics - 27 July 2010

Curriculum Report – Mathematics

Focus

To raise the achievement levels of all children in Basic Facts and Place Value at Kaikohe East School, while continuing with the understanding and strategies set out across all the strands of the maths curriculum

Assessment Procedures

• School wide data is collected each term in Basic Facts and Place Value. This aligns with all schools in the Kaikohe Maths Cluster, and has been prepared by Karen Major our team Solutions Facilitator.

• At class level each child is monitored by using their individual  ‘I Kan’ sheets. Formative assessment is on-going in each classroom.

Trend Analysis

• We have had basic facts data for two years plus now, and we have seen an improvement in achievement in that time especially in addition and subtraction. Multiplication and division still remain a problem for many children to learn. Place value testing began last year and data is available for that period. Initial results showed that a great deal of work is still needed to be done in this area. Results this year to date show a slight improvement but there is a very real need for student achievement to be boosted. The trends that have become obvious and need addressing at school level are also evident right across the cluster schools.

Students and Groups of Students at risk

• There are students at every year level who are not achieving at the level expected by the National Standards.

Teaching and learning strategies to address the above

• Since we have been collecting data, there has been a greater emphasis on teaching basic facts, and in most classrooms it is part of the daily programme. The children are involved in goal setting and how to achieve them, which encourages them to take more responsibility for their own learning. Programmes like Keeping Clever help to re-enforce knowledge learnt and show the children their next steps. A wide range of teaching material is available on the NZ Maths site and from a variety of sources. Karen Major has had limited time available to spend in classrooms and with individual teachers.

• This term I will be released to observe and support numeracy in the classes.

Looking Ahead

There will be a greater emphasis on multiplication and division teaching, using reverse multiplication to teach division. We will continue to look at programmes to improve the understanding of place value. Data testing and collection will continue each term, and results analyzed, and entered into ETAP. These will be used to plan for the needs of individual students and reporting to parents. The cluster meets once a term to look at the data and discuss ways to move the children forward and support our teachers. This is shared back at school at Staff and Syndicate meetings. We are also able to access relevant support and resource materials through our facilitators and will monitor these to see what works for our children.