Every year we hear the same story dressed in new language: students are struggling in math, scores are low, and the ministry is “concerned.” Now we learn that only 51% of Grade 6 and 58% of Grade 9 students in Ontario are meeting provincial standards; even after marking practices that bend over backwards to give partial credit.
Let’s be honest: if half the students still can’t meet the bar, the problem is not with the children. The problem is with the system.
And now we’re told that yet another advisory panel will be paid to “investigate” what’s wrong. We’ve seen this movie before. Panels are formed, reports are written, recommendations are made; and nothing changes where it matters: in the classroom, with real students and real teachers who still don’t have the tools or training they need.
Ontario keeps insisting that students should learn math through complex problem-solving, real-world scenarios, and inquiry-based tasks. That sounds wonderful, in theory. But here’s the truth nobody wants to say out loud:
You cannot solve worded problems if you don’t have the basic skills to understand the numbers or the words.
For years, many in Ontario criticized Caribbean teaching for being “rote” or “old-fashioned.” But while they were busy rejecting memorization, they also abandoned something essential: a solid foundation. Now the cracks are so wide, they’re showing up clearly in the EQAO results, a test that’s badly watered down in its marking.
And let me say this clearly:
I never taught at the Grade 6 level. I taught Grade 7 and 8, and as I always admit, I was not the best math teacher. Math wasn’t one of my teachables or specializations.
That’s exactly why I was such a strong advocate for specialized teaching.
Let teachers teach what they were trained to teach, what they’re strong in, and what they can deliver with confidence and success. Instead, in many schools, teachers are assigned subjects almost as a form of punishment or control. Admin decisions are sometimes tied to politics, not student success. And who are the ones who suffer most? The children.
1. Students lack basic number sense.
They are pushed into high-level tasks with shaky foundational skills.
2. Many struggle to read the math questions.
A word problem becomes a wall when literacy is weak.
3. The curriculum is unrealistic and top-heavy.
We expect deep reasoning without first building fluency.
4. Teachers are often teaching outside their strengths.
This is a systemic failure, not a personal one.
5. Another inquiry won’t fix what we already know.
Reports don’t teach students. Teachers do.
1. Re-establish strong math fundamentals.
Students need fluency before complexity.
2. Strengthen literacy alongside math.
You cannot separate the two.
3. Simplify and focus the curriculum.
Depth over speed.
4. Prioritize specialized teaching.
Put the right teachers in the right subjects.
5. Give teachers real, ongoing math training.
Not one-day workshops, real support.
Ontario moved so far away from “rote learning” that it forgot students still need the basics; and teachers need the right training and assignments to deliver them.
You cannot build problem-solvers on shaky foundations.
And you cannot expect better results while ignoring the very people who make learning happen: the teachers.
What Ontario needs now is not another inquiry.
Ontario needs courage; the courage to admit that the current approach is broken and to rebuild what actually works.