Aussie students falling behind in maths, Oxford University Press Australia report finds

A report has revealed the massive gap in maths knowledge, with some students starting high school with grade one skills.

Students as young as grade four are more than five years behind their peers in maths, prompting concerns they could start high school with skills equivalent to grade one.

A new report by Oxford University Press Australia (OUP) has revealed that the knowledge gap only grows as Australian students progress through primary school, posing “detrimental” risks to their development.

Maths skills across student cohorts usually vary between one and two years in early primary school, and span up to three years for students in grade three.

But that gap balloons by up to five years by the time they are in grade four.

The knowledge gap in maths only grows as Australian students progress through primary school. Picture: iStock

The biggest shortfall was when students reached grade six, with one third of the 228 teachers surveyed nationally claiming that maths skills varied by more than five years in some cases.

This means that students were at risk of commencing year seven with a grade one knowledge level and heightened anxiety around the subject.

“There is overwhelming consensus that lack of student progress in mathematics results in confidence continuing to decline, and anxiety levels continuing to increase,” the report read.

It comes as Australia’s results in the most recent Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) declined more than in any other country except Finland, with the largest decline in mathematics.

OUP’s Publishing director Lee Walker said educators were most concerned about the transition from primary to secondary school.

“The research reveals that the transition from Year 6 Primary School to Year 7 Secondary School poses a big challenge for both teachers and students,” Ms Walker said.

Previous research by the publication has also uncovered similar skill gaps in Australian secondary students.

Class time constraints emerged as one of the biggest challenges to helping students who fall further behind each year, an issue made worse since the pandemic began.

“It goes without saying that our teachers have faced a challenging two years due to Covid and increasing workloads. However, the diverse range of abilities among students in today’s classrooms will only add to teachers’ already limited time constraints,” Ms Walker said.

Mathematical resource author and the learning and teaching leader at Eltham’s Our Lady Help of Christians Primary School Annie Facchinetti said teachers needed more support in the classroom to curb the worrying trend.