Numeracy

A Multi-Tiered system of support exists at Chirnside Park Primary School to ensure all students have access to high-quality, engaging mathematics instruction. The system integrates instruction and intervention to meet the needs of students, identified through data-based decisions, to accelerate performance and ensure mastery of the Victorian Standards of Mathematics.

Tier 1

Tier one instruction is strong and comprehensive classroom practice that successfully caters for around 90% of our students. The focus of Tier 1 is on the successful implementation of the Victorian Standards to drive mathematics instruction. Each standard provides clear expectations for the knowledge and skills students need to master in each grade level and ensure high-quality classroom-based instruction and support for all students. The standards provide the foundation for students to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills that will be used throughout life.

Two mutually supportive frameworks support the implementation of standards at CPPS. They are the Victorian Curriculum Foundation-10 and Top Ten which was created by Australian numeracy coaches and teachers to help teachers and students love the journey of learning mathematics. At CPPS our aim is to ensure that our teachers receive excellent training, time and support to deliver engaging, hands-on, and high-impact mathematics lessons from Prep-6 that target students’ at their point of need.

Tier 2

Tier two intervention caters  for around 10% of our students and focuses on specific skills/concepts to respond to the specific needs of individual students. Assessing students for Tier 2 intervention is Norm Referenced which considers how a student performs relative to a sample of comparable students. Post intervention assessment is criterion referenced which considers how a student performs relative to expected performance on a grade level intervention. Student groupings will be dynamic  and reflective of the topic being assessed, however Prep-2 intervention will have a strong and continued focus on Place Value. Our hinge point to determine intervention in mathematics will be students performing in the low-mid range utilising norm referenced assessment.  Students are usually taught in small groups for 30-minute lessons 3x a week.  

Tier 2 instruction will be delivered by our mathematics intervention specialist who is a trained classroom teacher. The specialist has been trained to intervene and support the mathematics instructional model F-6 and is mentored by the Assistant Principal, and our expert mathematics consultant from Top Ten.