Manitoba Grade 12 students slipped in advanced math, French in 2024 provincial exams
'The only thing that we can do is get better,' says Winnipeg School Division superintendent
Grade 12 students in Manitoba slipped in provincial advanced math and French test scores last year, compared to the four most recent testing years.
The Manitoba government reinstated standardized assessments in the 2023-24 school year, with the first provincial exams written in January 2024. The exams had been cancelled in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic prompted concerns that a mix of in-class and remote learning would prevent students from having equal access to instruction.
Provincial data from the 2024 exams show the provincial Grade 12 average mark in pre-calculus was 62.4 per cent in 2024 — a drop from 67.9, obtained on average between 2016 and 2019.
Students fared slightly better in essential mathematics, with results rising from 56.8 per cent on average between 2016 and 2019 to 58.2 last year.
In applied mathematics, Grade 12 students scored an average of 59.1 in 2024 — higher than averages from 2016 to 2018, when results ranged between 56.6 and 58.1. But they dropped from a 62.7 per cent average in 2019.
To Anna Stokke, a University of Winnipeg mathematics professor, the marks are generally "quite poor," but adds that the pre-calculus average score "is fairly alarming."
The marks suggest to Stokke that fewer students in Manitoba are prepared to take a number of university programs, as pre-calculus is what prepares them for post-secondary math.
"We need engineers, we need people to work in technology, AI and data science, and all those people have to take calculus," she said. "Clearly, we're not preparing students adequately for those careers."
Marks in one French exam were also lower compared to the last four provincial exam cycles. Students who took the Français langue première exam scored an average of 64.6 per cent in 2024, down from the 72.5 average between 2016 and 2019.
In the Français arts langagiers — immersion exam, the average score in 2024 was 73.4 per cent, up from the 69.7 average obtained in the four years before the pandemic.
A report card for school divisions
Education Minister Tracy Schmidt said Friday the results are reflective of what other jurisdictions across Canada are dealing with, as students struggle to catch up with a dip in instruction time during the COVID-19 pandemic.
But social conditions are also partly to blame, Schmidt said, adding that improving overall learning outcomes would involve generational changes.
"Here in Manitoba, we have some of the highest child poverty rates across the country," she said. "There is a lot of work we have to do as an education department, but I think there's a lot of work we have to do as a society."
The department is reviewing the math curriculum and introducing a new financial literacy program for Grade 9 students. Schmidt said the province has also invested in hiring more educators, reducing class sizes, and striking a deal to fund a school food program.
Matt Henderson, superintendent of the Winnipeg School Division, said he is concerned over how in the last number of years, there haven't been any breakthroughs in mathematics learning and education.
"I always see summative exams … as sort of the report card of school divisions, of schools and teachers," he said in an interview. "There's some serious conversations to be had."
Winnipeg School Division students scored just slightly above the provincial average in pre-calculus in 2024, according to the provincial data. However, the average score obtained by Grade 12 students in that subject was almost seven points below what students in the division had obtained on average between 2016 and 2019.
Henderson said students who wrote the provincial exam last year were in between grades 7 and 9 — significant years for mathematics education that were interrupted with distance learning during the pandemic.
"The only thing that we can do is get better," he said. "Realistically, this is where we want to begin to make a real five-year push to really excel as a school division."
He said they have been focusing on early math courses, drilling in foundational skills, and also increasing the attention to students during the middle years with formative feedback.
"It's our responsibility as a group to ensure that we're pushing each other and that we're providing the highest quality education," Henderson said.
More provincial exams at other levels would also be beneficial for students' learning, Stokke said, so deficiencies can be caught on time and not when students are graduating.
Stokke also said students need teachers who have a strong math background — a provincial responsibility in which she believes the NDP government has taken a step "backwards" after slashing math education requirements for new teachers.
"[It] is absolutely horrendous. It's going to make things worse," she said. "I think we're only going to see these scores get worse."
Grant Jackson, the Progressive Conservative education critic, says declining scores in applied math and pre-calculus are concerning, adding that the NDP government needs to halt the plummet by bringing back the math learning requirements for future teachers.
When asked if the province would consider reversing the move in light of the test results, Schmidt said "nothing's off the table."
WATCH | Manitoba Grade 12 students test scores decline in advanced math & French:
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With files from Gavin Axelrod