International math test scores released by Fraser Institute reveal decline in math performance across Canada

BY PAUL JUNOR

The Fraser Institute is described according to its website as “an independent non-partisan research and educational organization in Canada (fraserinstitute.org).

It is known for its annual ranking of Canadian schools for over twenty years. As a Canadian public policy think registered charity, its political conservative and libertarian stance is often reflected in its publications and studies.

On Thursday, April 8^th, it released a study titled, “Math Performance in Canada.” The study was based on the analysis of data obtained over a fifteen-year period, from 2003 to 2018 from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).

This test is given every three years to students in thirty-seven countries The report notes that the PISA is “the most extensive and widely accepted measure of academic proficiency among lower secondary students around the world”  An analysis of the results over the fifteen-year period indicates that there has been a gradual decline in the overall performance of Canadian’s math students.

Canada placed fifth out of thirty-seven countries that participated in 2003 and twelfth out of seventy-eight participating jurisdictions as revealed in the 2018 assessment. It was also noted that there was a decrease in the performance of students in all provinces across Canada. It was highest in Manitoba, then Alberta, British Columbia, Prince Edward, and Ontario. The study examined each province’s mathematics test results based on their unique curriculum standards.

These results also indicate that there was a gradual decline in the performance of students. Vincent Geloso, a senior fellow at the Fraser Institute and co-author of the study wrote in the news release, “By almost every measure math scores are declining. Policymakers and educators need to understand the severity of these declining math results and should seriously consider ways to reverse this trend.”

In terms of the analysis of the results for Ontario, which was based on the results of Ontario’s Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) grade 3,6, and 9 math tests. The study notes that Ontario’s internal Grade 9 results do not coincide with the PISA results. This is related to the fact students in Grade 9 are either in Applied or Academic Math and students are enrolled in either English or French language Programs.

The study revealed that there was a 2.5% drop in average math test scores for fifteen-year-olds from 2009 to 2019. With respect to data obtained from Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), it indicates that the first three Grade 4 data points on the TIMSS results did not increase from 2003 to 2015 compared to the EQAO data from 2008 to 2019.

The results for Grade 9 students are more pronounced. The study notes the TIMSS data may also provide independent support for a statistically significant decline in Ontario’s elementary math scores since 2011. The decline in students’ math performance in international tests is troubling. As there is an increased emphasis on a future in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) careers, it is vital that students have a solid foundation in Mathematics.

Derek Allison, Professor Emeritus of Western Ontario and co-author of the study observes, “Mathematics holds a position of strategic importance in the school curriculum, especially in our increasingly digital world, which makes these signs of declining math performance by Canadian students all the more worrisome.”