1. Math at Earl of March Parent Consultation Meeting April 23, 2012

2. 23 April 2012 Deb Gray – Chair Guy Somers – Vice-Chair Susan Kruse – Secretary Det Kruse – Parent Representative Melody Hickie – Parent Representative Catherine Roberts – Chair, School Council Jon Harris – Vice Principal Shannon Hendrycks – Head, Guidance Juliette Ma – Student Representative Math Department Representative Members 2

3. 23 April 2012 Agenda Math Committee presentation Principals presentation Student presentation Questions and comments –Please be respectful –No personal comments about staff 3

4. History Parental concerns over assessment of math November 2011 - School Council sub-committee formed December 2011 - Terms of Reference approved 23 April 20124

5. Terms of Reference Improve student achievement in mathematics at EOM and to enhance the accountability of the education system to parents Consult with EOM parents on math program Access OCDSB staff and resources for information about the EOM math program, as well as other schools in the district to assess the application and appropriateness of the current program 5

6. 23 April 2012 Concerns from Parent Community Current assessment practices more difficult at EOM than other schools Level 3 and 4 academic math students most negatively affected Students marks dropped approx. 5% to 10% in Grade 10 and 11 University acceptances and scholarships being negatively affected Students reporting significant stress over math (time, tests, marks) 6

7. 23 April 2012 Concerns from Parent community (contd) Assessment of math not being evenly applied across the Board and province, to the disadvantage of EOM students Disproportionate amount of time required for math Tutors required for math Not teaching Level 4 skills Assessment practices do not fall within the Ministry guidelines 3 Before Me 7

8. 23 April 2012 Progress Several meetings with Mr. Massey Met with Board superintendents Correspondence with Director, Education at Board Questionnaire drafted (not approved) Review of math tests by Carleton professor of Mathematics and Statistics Many information requests still outstanding 8

9. 23 April 2012 Test Review Sample math tests collected from EOM and other schools Other schools – two Grade 11 Academic functions, one Grade 11 Gifted functions and one Grade 12 Gifted functions Requested review of tests with: –School Administration: Steve Massey, Math Department –School Board Officials: Jennifer Adams, Jill Bennett, Pino Buffone –Carleton University 9

10. 23 April 2012 Carleton University Math Professor Test questions do not objectively evaluate student ability EOM questions appear to lack sufficient direction More specific question structure required Quadratics questions somewhat vague EOM Level 4 questions more difficult than the hardest questions from other schools Tests should not allow students to select the difficulty of the question they will attempt Too many challenging questions may restrict students to a lower grade range than their counterparts at other schools, thus affecting their ability to earn scholarships and awards 10

11. 23 April 2012 Next Steps Parent feedback Outstanding items from School and Board Final report to School Council on findings and recommendations School Council votes on endorsement of recommendations for principal Principal determines whether to accept recommendations 11

12. 23 April 2012 Contact Us Website: http://earlmath.wordpress.com Email: eom.math@gmail.com 12