11 reasons why we invested in Maths Pathway: the Australian start-up doubling the rate students learn maths
Maths Pathway, one of the latest social impact investments at Social Ventures Australia (SVA), is helping teachers to overcome something really challenging — changing the way schools teach maths to improve student learning outcomes.
Helping ambitious organisations drive systems change and create positive social outcomes is SVA’s mission. So when we were presented with the opportunity to invest $1 million in Maths Pathway late last year, it was a no brainer.
Maths Pathway helps teachers manage the varied learning needs of each student in their classroom — to help students who are falling behind catch up and also help accelerate maths learning for high performing students. On average, students learn twice as fast as they did prior to implementing the Maths Pathway Learning and Teaching Model, according to data collected by Maths Pathway.
Maths Pathway fundamentally changes the classroom and the role of teachers. It is a holistic Learning and Teaching model supported by school consultants and a tech platform. I mention tech last because Maths Pathway are more of an education change management company, than a tech company. The core of their program is helping teachers use evidence-based practices to teach maths. Tech is just an enabling component.
1. Time for change
The performance gap in Australian classrooms is widening. Australia’s school performance has fallen in the last decade from 4th in 2000 to 19th in 2015, according to OECD Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). Australia’s declining performance is driven by a growing cohort of students who are underperforming.
One explanation for low-achieving classrooms can be explained by how schools in low socio-economic typically underperform. Students in these areas are falling further behind.
Maths Pathway places a strong focus on understanding students from different socio-economic backgrounds. They have found that socio-economic background isn’t a determinant factor as to whether their model works or not. Students in more ‘disadvantaged’ schools have a mean growth rate of 2.61 compared to the still impressive rate of 1.97 achieved by students in more advantaged schools. This means that those in disadvantaged schools are rapidly catching up with Maths Pathway.
Another explanation for underperforming classrooms is the incredibly varied needs in a given classroom. A typical Year 7 class has an eight-year spread of ability, a gap that widens in subsequent years of schooling.
It’s easy to see why teachers are challenged. How could a teacher stand in front of the whiteboard and effectively teach to the needs of the entire class? One student is ready to learn quadratic equations, while another student is struggling to add fractions.
Teachers are already stretched. Most teachers manage to differentiate at a very high level, dividing their class into three groups to target students at, below and above the year level. Unfortunately, this does not solve the issue. Two students who are considered at the same year level will have very different learning profiles. For example, both students can represent partitions, one of them can only work with fractions that have common denominators and the other does not understand fractions as decimals.
Maths Pathway helps teachers effectively address the learning needs of Teachers who otherwise would be required to teach multiple groups of students, learning different topics, and needing different teaching methods at the same time. Maths Pathway helps teaches manage the massive task of delivering personalised learning with multiple lesson plan preparation, multiple learning materials, wide-ranging student learning journeys and wide-ranging reports and assessments.
2. How Maths Pathway works
Maths Pathway started with a one solution model and iterated to a holistic solution. The model now has eight interdependent components that work together to foster learning outcomes.
3. Personalised learning
Maths Pathway uses advanced diagnostics and ongoing formative assessments to map each student’s learning gaps and competencies. This isn’t a typical 40-minute NAPLAN test. It collects granular data over several hours of modules. By identifying each students’ learning profile — what they have mastered, what they are ready to learn next, and what gaps may exist — they generate a learning and teaching plan to target each student’s point of need.
By giving students content they are ready to learn, students work within their zone of proximal development — challenged enough to remain engaged but given plenty of opportunity to experience success.
Students also solve questions in exercise books so that teachers can monitor their workings and intervene proactively. If they need help at any point they can access fully worked solutions, instructional short videos and find other students who have already mastered that mathematical concept. This helps build student resiliency.
4. Targeted explicit teaching
Maths Pathway is all about helping teachers spend more time on activities that improve learning outcomes. Maths Pathway structures classes so that teachers can work with small groups and intervene how and when students need it, rather than teaching on the chalk board in front of the entire class.
Having access to real-time data allows teachers to identify and group students with similar needs and deliver impactful, stimulating, and personalised instruction. Lessons are conducted with small groups of students who have a similar understanding of a key concept or have comparable learning needs, giving them the opportunity to problem solve, ask questions and think critically.
5. Rich Learning
A Rich Learning task is one that engages students and develops critical thinking, reasoning, and problem-solving skills. They provide an opportunity to connect mathematical ideas from across the curriculum, spark students’ curiosity and encourage productive struggle. These skills (21st Century skills) are becoming more essential ensuring student success in later work and life.
Teachers lead the whole of class activities where mathematical concepts are explored using open-ended activities with multiple entry and exit points. For example, students will get a chance to predict the results of a gambling simulation. The discourse ranges from core maths concepts, trial and error to predict results and how the house stacks the odds against gamblers (and why gambling maybe is not such a great idea).
This is where students learn to ‘play’ with maths. As with real-life, there are no predetermined ‘right answers.’ Rather, teachers facilitate students’ exploration of their own logic in a situation. These are social lessons where students engage in mathematical discourse and communicate mathematical ideas.
6. Curriculum mapped content
Maths Pathway’s content is aligned to each state curriculum, covering mathematics from Year 1 through to Year 10. The scaffolded modules of work build students’ understanding, fluency, problem solving and reasoning skills. Students are exposed to routine and nonroutine scenarios that prepare them to solve real life problems effectively.
7. Differentiated assessment
Maths Pathway uses ongoing formative assessments to inform what each student should learn next or keep working on, as opposed to each student doing the same exam. This component is essential for effective personalised learning to gather real-time data and enable timely feedback and intervention.
This helps teachers assess and report on students who are at different stages of learning. A Year 6 classroom would have classmates such as:
● Susannah: 2 x learning growth rate ending year at level five maths comprehension
● Colin: 1 x learning growth rate for the year ending at level seven maths comprehension
How does a Year 6 teacher assess these two students? Colin would score better on NAPLAN, but Susannah learned twice as much as Colin. How would a Year 7 teacher feel about receiving Susannah, who did not learn any Year 6 concepts the previous year? How do parents know if their child is ahead or behind the class?
Maths Pathways assessments and reporting addresses these issues. Maths Pathways is a whole school approach that shifts the paradigm to learning growth. The assessment issue is one example of the huge change Maths Pathway creates (and why change management is core to their work).
8. Data-informed feedback
Thorough data from diagnostics and fortnightly differentiated assessments is organised into dashboards giving teachers granular data on students. This allows them to provide meaningful feedback that is regular and timely. Students with similar learning profiles are also automatically grouped to assist teachers in delivering targeted instruction.
9. School Improvement Consultant
Maths Pathway developed school consultants years before a sales team. Providing schools with teacher improvement is core to their model. They provide ongoing strategic advice, coaching and support to ensure schools make the most of each component of the model.
10. Professional Growth and Development
The Maths Pathway approach centres on the development and growth of teachers for an obvious reason. Evidence shows that teachers are the most important element of student learning. The model includes tailored training for schools — both in person and online — to support teachers to implement and iterate with the model. Maths Pathway schools start with an intensive two-day program to train teachers on how to manage the transition to Maths Pathway.
11. Results
On average, students learn have 1.26 learning growth rate, meaning that students are learning more than a whole year’s worth of curriculum. This is phenomenal.
In 2018 Maths Pathway was used in more than 180 schools. Currently it is used in over 260 schools by more than 57,000 students. A big portion of these schools are in low-socioeconomic areas. It costs $69 per student, roughly equivalent to the cost of a text book, and there are innovative funding options available for low ICSEA schools.
Our investment in Maths Pathway is driven by a desire to help every student in Australia, particularly those who are experiencing disadvantage, have equal opportunity to access high quality education.
Our investment will allow Maths Pathway to improve classroom outcomes through product improvements, driving student engagement through interactive content and providing teachers with even greater access to student data and planning information. It allows Maths Pathway to scale its model.
