New math curriculum is welcome news for this September

By MPP Toby Barrett

To The Haldimand Press

All aspects of our lives have been impacted by COVID-19. Although we have collectively made progress, the virus remains and we must be vigilant. There’s the worry of a second wave this fall and that’s why this week our Ontario Government presented parents and students with options for schooling. We also released Ontario’s new elementary math curriculum.

The math curriculum is getting favourable reviews by many who have long asked government for a program that teaches financial literacy and numeracy skills. The Ontario elementary math curriculum was last updated in 2005.

This new curriculum was developed over two years in consultation with parents, teachers, math education experts, and will reverse a decade of declining math scores. It will be available to students across Ontario this September. To view the new curriculum, visit: dcp.edu.gov.on.ca/en/curriculum/elementary-mathematics.

Our government made a promise to parents we would fix Ontario’s broken education system, and we’d return to basics by teaching children the math fundamentals they need for lifelong success. The new Grade 1-8 curriculum includes the teaching of financial literacy, as well as computer coding – critical skills that will prepare kids for success in the modern world and workplace.