Math Curriculum Changes This Fall

Math Curriculum Changes Rolling Out This Fall!

Based on research done by the World Bank a few years ago, only 68% of Canadians were considered financially literate. For many years Canadians have expressed their strong beliefs that children should be learning about debt, financial management, mortgages, loans, and more as basic skills to take with them into their adult lives. This fall, Ontario will be moving forward with a new Grade 9 mathematics curriculum that will include a dedicated financial literacy component, with sections focused on debt, responsible credit card use, and even mortgage rates. With massive changes and challenges within the global economy due to the pandemic and other circumstances, now more than ever it has proven to be a crucial skill to understand and manage finances in an educated manner.

Financial literacy is one of six official strands that form the new math curriculum plan; roughly 17% of the overall math curriculum. Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce explains that the new math program is intended to teach practical skills that will eventually help students fare better as independent adults and job seekers, "These are life skills that are going to set students apart" he says.

According to the curriculum guide, students will "extend their financial literacy knowledge to answer questions related to appreciation and depreciation, and explain how budgets can be modified based on changes in circumstances." The new program will also touch on the effects of different interest rates, down payments, and other factors associated with obtaining goods and services, like a mortgage!

"The program is non-"streamed" and will be available to all students. That could be a major plus for Ontario's lower-income and minority students, who have been disproportionately streamed away from university-track credits in the Ontario education system for decades."

"The hope is..." Click To Read More!

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