McLeod Road Traditional 25-26

Numeracy and Communication- Student Voice

Curricular Competencies

Our students can use : 

- use mathematical vocabulary and language to contribute to mathematical discussions,
- explain and justify mathematical ideas and decisions,
- communicate mathematical thinking in many ways,
- represent mathematical ideas in concrete, pictorial, and symbolic forms,

This goal matters as we hope students can clearly communicate their thinking, be confident while engaging in numeracy tasks, and also use mental math and manipulatives to understand concepts and processes of solving problems versus memorization. The focus group at this point in time is our intermediate students in grade 5/6.

Specifically, these students have had the opportunity to work collaboratively in groups to discuss their learning, and teach one another strategies for problem solving. Though this collaboration, students have had the opportunity to develop and enhance their social and emotional skills such as reflecting on mathematical thinking, connecting mathematical concepts to each other and to other areas and personal interests, using mathematical arguments to support personal choices, which are all part of the curricular competencies in the B.C. curriculum for mathematics.

Objective

For all math, the teacher’s objective is to understand individual learner needs and skills, meet each child where they are at, and move them forward by building on their strengths to close gaps or extend learning.

 Rationale

The rationale for each math lesson is rooted in student engagement. It is imperative that all math concepts taught help students make connections to real life and other subject material. This can be achieved through hands-on activities, exploration, discussion, playing, creating, the use of technology, the arts, and reflection.

Key Actions

• Continue to embed regular opportunities for math talk and discussion across all grades through routines such as think‑pair‑share, turn‑and‑talk, and math talks.
• Intentionally support students in explaining and justifying their thinking, moving beyond answers to reasoning and strategy comparison.
• Maintain consistent use of concrete, pictorial, and symbolic representations to deepen understanding and support a range of learners.
• Use student self‑reflection as a formative tool to build ownership, confidence, and awareness of growth in numeracy skills.
• Provide targeted support for students who remain in the Emerging category, with a focus on foundational skills delivered within classroom instruction.

Goals:

Lessons will instil a growth mind set, where each student sees themselves as a capable mathematician who knows when, where and why math skills are needed, and how support tools can be accessed to solve problems. Math class and math concepts are designed to provide opportunities to gain confidence in sharing discoveries, making mistakes, asking questions, and finding solutions.

Examples:

While many of our students demonstrate strong foundational skills—such as fact recall and basic computational math—they often encounter challenges when faced with more complex or unfamiliar mathematical problems. This suggests a need to strengthen their flexibility of thinking and deepen their conceptual understanding of mathematics.

One staff explained  that, "A different medium (whiteboards) allows students to "draw" their thinking while they are learning new concepts in math. It is less intimidating to make a mistake on a whiteboard that can be easily be erased versus writing it on a paper or in a notebook. It also encourages sharing between students and allows for easy formative assessment ."

Our FSA data indicates that there is a school-wide opportunity to enhance overall math proficiency. Specifically, students need to build stronger problem-solving strategies and develop a growth mindset. When math becomes challenging, we want our students to feel confident in their ability to persevere, explore different approaches, and learn from mistakes.

This data makes us wonder about the students who are emerging in their mathematical ability. It seems that many students are learning and progressing well with the classroom teaching and extra supports that they are given but what about the students who are not making the expected progress. How do we meet their needs in order to help them achieve success?

By focusing on numeracy as a school goal, we aim to:

• Support students in becoming more adaptable and strategic thinkers in math.
• Encourage resilience and a positive mindset when tackling difficult problems.
• Improve overall student achievement in numeracy, as reflected in future FSA results and classroom assessments.

This goal aligns with our broader mission to equip students with the skills they need to succeed not only in school but in life beyond the classroom.

OUR NEXT STEPS

Focus Area : Strengthening student confidence, communication, and reasoning in numeracy.

 Data: Comparing FSA data and school proficiency indicators:

Context and Rationale of the Data:

Over the past several years, FSA numeracy data for both Grade 4 and Grade 7 shows an overall positive trend, with increasing numbers of students meeting expectations. Early data reflected a high number of students in the Emerging category, followed by steady improvement and a strong recovery period. A notable dip in 2023/2024 was seen across both grades, suggesting a broader cohort challenge rather than isolated classroom issues. Recent results from 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 show clear improvement, including lower Emerging rates and higher On Track achievement. This growth is supported by classroom self‑reflection data, which indicates that students feel increasingly confident talking about math, using representations, and explaining their thinking. Together, these data sources highlight the importance of continuing to build student confidence, voice, and reasoning in numeracy.

Generalized Key Actions:

• Continue to embed regular opportunities for math talk and discussion across all grades through routines such as think‑pair‑share, turn‑and‑talk, and math talks.
• Intentionally support students in explaining and justifying their thinking, moving beyond answers to reasoning and strategy comparison.
• Maintain consistent use of concrete, pictorial, and symbolic representations to deepen understanding and support a range of learners.
• Use student self‑reflection as a formative tool to build ownership, confidence, and awareness of growth in numeracy skills.
• Provide targeted support for students who remain in the Emerging category, with a focus on foundational skills delivered within classroom instruction.

Equity and Inclusion Considerations

• Reduce barriers by offering multiple ways for students to demonstrate understanding, including oral explanations, visuals, manipulatives, and written strategies.
• Monitor progress of identified learner groups to ensure equitable growth and access to support.
• Ensure interventions strengthen, rather than replace, inclusive classroom practices.

Alignment to Curricular Competencies

This focus supports the BC Numeracy curricular competencies by emphasizing students’ ability to:

• Communicate mathematical thinking
• Reason and justify solutions
• Use multiple representations
• Reflect on learning and growth

Evidence of Success

Success will be monitored through:

• Classroom observations and formative assessments
• Ongoing student self‑reflection data related to confidence and participation
• Year‑to‑year analysis of Emerging, On Track, and Extending performance
• Continued improvement and stability in FSA numeracy results

Indicators of success will include a continued reduction in Emerging learners, increased consistency in students meeting expectations, and greater confidence in explaining mathematical thinking.

Specific Next Steps to Support Numeracy Goals so that there is less of a gap between the FSA and school level proficiencies as compared in the two graphics above. We will target this gap by:

1. Professional Development Focus on Numeracy Communication

• Workshops and Training: Provide targeted professional development for staff on strategies to teach and assess mathematical communication. Topics could includ We using math journals, incorporating mathematical discourse, and teaching students how to explain their reasoning effectively. This year we have had two Numeracy Lunch and Learns from the District Numeracy Teacher, Mr. Chris Hunter. 
• Collaborative Planning: Establish Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) that focus specifically on numeracy, where teachers can share best practices, analyze student work, and co-create lessons aimed at improving mathematical communication. Next year, McLeod Road will be part of a district initiative called Math Matters with a focus on Communication as a competency.

2. Integrated Use of Technology for Communication and Assessment

• Digital Tools for Expression: Introduce digital platforms such as Explain Everything, Seesaw, or Flipgrid, where students can record and present their mathematical thinking using visual and verbal explanations.
• Adaptive Assessment Tools: Use tools like Mathletics or Freckle to assess student progress while providing opportunities for students to explain their thinking within the platform.

3. Refinement of Assessment Practices

• Rubrics for Mathematical Communication: Develop and use rubrics that explicitly assess how well students communicate their mathematical thinking, including criteria such as clarity, accuracy, and use of mathematical vocabulary. Share these rubrics with students to guide their self-assessment.
• Formative Assessment Techniques: Implement regular formative assessments, such as math exit tickets, where students must write or draw how they solved a problem. This can provide immediate feedback and inform instruction.
• Student Portfolios: Establish a numeracy portfolio where students collect examples of their problem-solving work, paired with written or recorded explanations of their reasoning.

4. Classroom Strategies to Support Communication

• Math Talks: Dedicate time for regular math talks, where students explain their reasoning to peers and engage in constructive discussions about different solution methods.
• Anchor Charts: Create visual aids in classrooms that outline steps and language for explaining mathematical thinking, such as "I solved this by…" or "My strategy was…".
• Peer Reviews: Introduce peer feedback sessions where students evaluate and discuss each other's mathematical explanations using teacher-provided criteria.

5. Engaging Families in Numeracy Communication

• Numeracy Nights: Host family math nights where students demonstrate and explain their problem-solving strategies to parents. Provide families with resources to support mathematical communication at home.
• Home Learning Tasks: Design take-home math activities that require students to explain their thinking in writing or through videos submitted to the teacher.

6. Data-Informed Instruction

• Analyze Patterns: Regularly review assessment data to identify trends in how students communicate their thinking. Use this data to tailor interventions for students who struggle with expressing mathematical ideas.
• Goal Setting with Students: Engage students in setting personal goals related to mathematical communication, fostering ownership of their learning.

7. Creation of a loose parts room to increase student engagement and access to cross curricular manipulatives.

By embedding these strategies, we aim to build on current initiatives to enhance student learning and deepen student ability to articulate mathematical reasoning more effectively.