PROJECT MATHS:THE GOVERNMENT'S much trumpeted plan to address the "crisis in maths" was launched yesterday by Minister for Education Batt O'Keeffe.
The Project Maths initiative will see a more "user-friendly" maths programme rolled out in 24 schools on a pilot basis.
The project schools that started the cycle last month will complete the final phase in 2010/11. The programme will begin in schools across the State in September 2010, prefaced by a programme of professional training for teachers starting the previous year.
Project Maths is designed to teach maths in a way that promotes better understanding of mathematical concepts. It is also intended to underline the everyday relevance of the subject.
The Government has been under pressure from business and industry to address falling standards in maths. This year, almost 5,000 students failed ordinary or foundation level maths. Failure rates in maths have remained stubbornly high for more than a decade.
Concerns have also been raised about the relatively low number of students taking higher level maths - fewer than one in five of the Leaving Cert cohort. In recent years, the chief examiner in Leaving Cert maths has also expressed concern about declining standards in the subject.
Speaking at one of the pilot schools - Scoil Mhuire Post-Primary School, Kanturk, Co Cork, yesterday - Mr O'Keeffe said: "Scoil Mhuire is one of 24 pilot schools that will be at cutting edge of maths reform in the years ahead.
"This model of curriculum reform has never been used before. It will allow us to trial the changes and, at the same time, develop lesson plans and exemplars for teachers. The new model will allow the student experience - central to effective learning - to feed into the final syllabus development so that we can ensure relevance and quality in the new reforms," Mr O'Keeffe said.
Project Maths is designed to provide a bridge between the revised primary curriculum and maths in second level.
The Minister said it "will encourage greater take-up at higher level and provide a solid foundation for careers in science, technology, engineering, business and the humanities as we seek to build the knowledge economy and society".
It is intended that change in the different strands of maths will be implemented on a phased basis in a rolling programme of reform.
There are to be three phases of implementation: statistics and probability and geometry and trigonometry in year one; numbers and algebra in year two; and functions in year three.
It is envisaged that, at Junior Cycle, a syllabus will be offered at two levels - ordinary and higher levels. However, an examination will be available at three levels - ordinary, higher and foundation levels and, following a review of trends, a decision will be made about whether it is feasible to phase out the foundation level.
In the Leaving Certificate, a syllabus will continue to be offered at ordinary, foundation and higher levels.
Schools participating in Project Maths include Abbey Community College, Co Wicklow; Abbey Vocational School, Co Donegal; Árdscoil na mBráithre, Clonmel, Co Tipperary; Castleknock College, Dublin 15; Loreto Abbey Secondary School, Dalkey, Co Dublin; Moate Community School, Co Westmeath; Presentation Secondary School, Dublin 8; St Mark's Community School, Tallaght, Dublin 24; Wesley College, Dublin 16 and Wexford Vocational College.
