Grant amount
NIS 40,000
Report by Experienced Mathematics Teachers About PISA Performance
Report by Experienced Mathematics Teachers on the Alignment between Junior and Senior High School Curricula and the PISA Performance Measures
Report by Experienced Mathematics Teachers on the Alignment between Junior and Senior High School Curricula and the PISA Performance Measures
Over the past few years, we have gradually begun working at the junior high school level, in order to help more students prepare for the advanced five-unit tracks. Currently, approximately 40% of the foundation’s portfolio is dedicated to helping high schools to smooth the transition from junior high to senior high school. However, we have learned that not only does there seem to be no strong motivation for junior high school students to invest in studying mathematics, but also that curricula and performance measures are in the process of changing and probably not yet clearly aligned.
Until recently, the national curriculum for mathematics had not been formally changed in more than 30 years. Nonetheless, incremental changes have been made in the matriculation tests over the years. When we started our work, we commissioned a report from expert teachers in order to analyze changes to the five-unit matriculation examination. The report revealed that in practice the bar has been significantly raised to integrate advanced technique and depth, spiral learning, flexible representations, high order thinking, literacy and applicability.
However, several years ago, the mathematics curriculum committee of the Ministry of Education, recommended gradually changing the 7th-12th grade curriculum, with the goal of offering different mathematics tracks according to the future academic trajectory of students. In Junior high school, the goal was to prepare for these tracks, and better align studies with different international tests that are administered at the junior high school level.
In practice, for the time being, only the junior high school curriculum has been formally approved, and is now in the process of early implementation in schools. The new high school curriculum has not yet been confirmed, as it raised questions and concerns. The feedback coming from the field is somewhat confused. Some teachers claim that students are reaching high school with insufficient mathematics knowledge, while others stress that there is still too much emphasis on technique and not enough on understanding. They all stress that Israeli students are not well prepared for ‘real-world’ usage of mathematics, as examined, for example, by the PISA test.
Therefore, in order to clarify this complex subject, we wish to consult with leading junior high school and 5-unit mathematics teachers and learn from their practical experience. The consulting process will seek to answer the following questions:
The process will include the following stages and components:
We will invite a leading teacher to prepare a summative report, which will use the material gathered in the first two stages. This report will be presented and discussed at the 2018 meeting of the foundation’s Advisory Council and shared with the professional community