On December 19, 2011, the government of Saskatchewan issued a news release, in response to concerns raised regarding math instruction and math curriculum in Saskatchewan.

We commend the Saskatchewan government for taking steps  to look into the problems that many are observing in the WNCP math curriculum. This initiative by the Saskatchewan government sets an example for other western provinces, all of whom should be investigating these issues.

It is of fundamental importance that any such review include strong representation from subject area experts – mathematicians, and not just individuals from the field of education – as well as teachers and curriculum experts. In addition, we strongly recommend that individuals from other user disciplines such as science, engineering, business, economics and medicine be involved. Other stakeholder groups, such as parents and employers in the trades, industry, and technology, have a great interest in the outcome and should not be excluded from the conversation.

For this reason, we are somewhat concerned by this line in the news release: “Minister Harpauer has initiated this consultation process by contacting education partners in school divisions, who have been invited to participate in discussions around the effective instruction of math curriculum”. WISE Math encourages the Saskatchewan government to ensure that the groups mentioned above are included in this discussion.

We also strongly encourage the government to investigate the issues WISE Math has identified with respect to classroom methodology and teacher training in mathematics, which are equally important to the delivery of effective mathematics instruction for children.

We encourage concerned citizens to voice their support for WISE Math by adding their names to the signature list.