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Delivering world-leading mathematics in South Australian public schools

3 August 2023

The State Government is implementing a world-leading mathematics improvement strategy, to equip South Australian children and young people with the knowledge and skills they need for future careers and everyday life.

The Minister for Education, Training and Skills, Blair Boyer, and the Chief Executive of the Department for Education, Professor Martin Westwell, made the announcement of the new strategies to improve mathematics education at Roma Mitchell Secondary College.

A new, improved mathematics curriculum will rollout in South Australian public schools from Term 1 next year. The government has prioritised implementing mathematics first, as part of the new Australian Curriculum, in order to give students the knowledge and skills needed for projects such as AUKUS.

The new curriculum is being developed by teachers in consultation with maths experts and teachers will have access to resources and professional learning opportunities to implement the new curriculum.

The State Government’s election commitment to develop new financial literacy resources to schools will also be rolled out from Term 1 next year, giving a greater focus on financial literacy education in the curriculum. The department has formed an expert panel with membership including:

  • Dr Carly Sawatzki – a teacher educator and educational researcher of mathematics at Deakin University, who examines real world economic and financial contexts.
  • Dr Phil Lambert PSM – a former Executive Director for the NSW Department of Education and former chair of the Australian Securities and Investment Commission’s expert group on the financial wellbeing of young people.

    The financial literacy curriculum will include providing students with the skills to understand budgeting, make sound financial decisions, identify scams and understand consumer rights – critical knowledge and skills for everyday life. This follows on from the government’s commitment to ban banks in public schools, which came into effect at the beginning of 2023.

    The department is also delivering a range of other new initiatives to improve mathematics education in schools, including:

  • Piloting a numeracy assessment tool in public schools – Maths Assessment Interview will be piloted in 50 schools next year, which involves one-on-one interviews for students to demonstrate their mathematical understanding and preferred strategies for solving complex tasks.
  • An international mathematics project – 11 high schools, including Roma Mitchell Secondary College, are implementing a new, internationally designed mathematics curriculum for Year 10 students in partnership with the Centre for Curriculum Redesign at Harvard University and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Mathematics teachers involved come from South Australia, Massachusetts, British Columbia, and Victoria.
  • An annual Numeracy Summit – held for the first time earlier this year, with over 1,000 school leaders and mathematics coordinators brought together to hear from numeracy and maths experts from around the world and improve teaching in schools. The summit will be held again in 2024.

    Roma Mitchell Secondary College Principal Toni Carellas said the school is very of the significant outcomes Roma Mitchell Secondary College has in the field of mathematics in both the SACE and the IB Diploma programs.

    “Our students across the girls’ Campus and the Co-Educational Campus embrace mathematics at all year levels which recognises the school’s commitment to engaging and innovative teaching approaches," she said.

    “The new SA developed curriculum will be a helpful resource for our teachers and we are excited about introducing the new content to students."

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