Alberta parent urges back to basics for math in schools

A petition started by a woman in Calmar to change Alberta's math curriculum has already attracted more than 2,000 signatures.

Nhung Tran-Davies is the mother of a Grade 3 student. She started the petition after an international study measuring the abilities of Canadian students showed them losing ground in both math and science.

• Canadian students slipping in math and science, OECD finds

Tran-Davies says her daughteris already struggling in math and she believes the curriculum needs to be simplified.

"I think the new curriculum over complicates the basics and it takes away the emphasis from practice, from memory work,hence not allowing the children to master the fundamentals," she said.

Tran-Davies said children need to spend more time practisingequations and solutions.

The province is reviewing the math curriculum and Tran-Davies hopes the government will make the changes she is seeking for the next school year.

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