14 September 2020

Curriculum Report – Mathematics 

Focus

• • Proud, prepared learners achieving at or above their respective Curriculum Level in Mathematics.

Programme

What sort of things did the students do (since the last report) - 6 August 2019

• • Junior Syndicate: Maths PLD has shown a huge shift in teacher practice and teachers are now in the process of sustaining and consolidating this knowledge in order to run independently from the PLD. Junior teachers are still very much teaching number knowledge, but bringing the teaching of number knowledge through in strand work also. Children continue to work in mixed ability grouping. Confidence in planning at syndicate meeting has made a shift so all teachers have a role to play in order to all contribute effectively to collaborative planning with more rich conversations around children’s thinking and learning in maths, this is helped with more in depth knowledge of the Learning Progression Framework to assist with planning and where to next.

  • Middle and Senior Syndicate: Maths PLD has continued to support teacher confidence in collaborative planning. We are now making best use of the Learning Progression Framework in our planning to make sure we are targeting our teaching to ensure our maths sessions are delivering the best in knowledge and strategies for our students. The students continue to work in mixed ability groups on problems that cover the range of maths strands. They use carefully considered materials to support the learning and relevant independent follow up activities to consolidate learning. They continue to explain their thinking and the strategies they use to solve problems to their group and with the class. Teachers continue to plan collaboratively. 

Assessment Procedures

• • What student assessment procedures are being used to find out how well the vision is being advanced?

  • All Syndicate - (Year 1-6): We are using the Numeracy Progressions Framework to determine students overall curriculum level. We use observational notes, rich tasks and student feedback to inform our decisions. Teachers are able to use JAM (Junior Assessment for Maths) when needed to give further information. 

Trend Analysis

• • What do the results of the student assessments show? - How well is the long term vision being advanced? - Are students succeeding?

  • Junior Syndicate:

Looking at current data we should have most children at expected curriculum level for year 1 & 2 by the end of the year.

• • Middle Syndicate:

It looks likely that most Year 3 and 4 children will be operating within Level 2 by the end of the year. 

• • Senior Syndicate:  

By the time students get to Year 6 they are mostly at and above. Currently 70% of the senior syndicate is working at Level 2 to early Level 3. This is encouraging given that we would hope Year 6’s are at Level 3 by the time they leave. 

2020 Data (Ors children not included in data)

2019 Data

Students and Groups of Students at risk

• • Who are the students who are not succeeding at this time? (in general terms).

  • Junior Syndicate: With the shift towards teaching Maths through problem solving most children who enter school are successful and achieving at Level 1 by the end of their first year school. Children that are below in Year 2 usually reach expected level by the end of their second year at school as they are seen as targets and are taught accordingly to their specific needs in order to achieve at expected level.

  • Middle and Senior Syndicate: Students who are reluctant to participate in group sessions are the most at risk as we find it difficult to determine their input. Target group sessions allow us to see their needs in more detail. These students often are lacking the knowledge to be able to participate in problem solving sessions. 

Teaching and learning strategies to address the above

• • What is being done - what changes are being made - so that all students succeed.

  • Maths curriculum essence statement is now developed and utilised. It includes the maths “Must do’s” that we have embedded into our practice over the past few years. We have a common language and structure for maths across the school. 

  • Whole school:  Front loading. Exposure throughout the day, integrating into other curriculum areas and classroom programmes eg during discovery Time. Giving opportunities to explain thinking. Teacher observations inform which students need more support and the type of independent activities they need. Children are being targeted if they are showing a lack of understanding of the daily concepts being taught, more teacher time is given to these children to help understand and grasp specific content that the child is struggling with. Students are observed during maths problem solving time. These students are noted and subsequent sessions are run to go over new learning or further practice.  Some children have been selected as part of a targeted teaching group to work for a short time each day so the knowledge, maths language and possible strategies can be front loaded prior to the class session. Practical and real life problems are integrated into every maths lesson. 

• • Additional learning needs and Special Rights: Extra support for students, teachers and teacher aides is accessed through learning support and RTLB so differentiated learning can then be considered and planned for in maths. IEP’s also provide opportunities for maths learning needs to be considered under The NZ curriculum and Te Whāriki using hands on learning, equipment and experiences with 1-1 support.

Looking Ahead

• • Teachers will continue to embed new learning and take a greater control over the next stages of maths development by using IRIS to reflect on lessons, share reflections with colleagues/critical buddies in order to make change and a difference to their class programmes to ensure success for all learners

  • Selection of learning contexts will be deliberate and relative to classroom programmes and planned learning activities in other curriculum areas. 

  • Whole Syndicate: Continuing to build teacher capability and confidence in both planning and teaching by continually monitoring and discussing where children are, where they are going and how to get there through collaborative planning and rich discussions at syndicate and staff meetings. Continue with mixed ability groupings. Focus for teachers is to keep more detailed records of what they notice about children’s thinking in order to confidently determine levels using the Maths Learning Progressions Framework. We will continue to use the support of our Maths facilitators to collect necessary data and evidence so that we can make judgements with confidence.  Use the revised Mathematics essence statement below to embed our knowledge and capability.