Numeracy Boost Common Approach – Case Study

While data on student math performance in developing contexts is limited, what does exist is alarming: research conducted by SC in literacy and math in Nepal in 2013 found that grade 2 children were able to correctly respond to only 4 out of 15 grade level math questions and results from an Early Grades Math Assessment (EGMA) conducted in Ghana in 2015 show that 73% of children in grade 2 could not answer a single subtraction question. From a gender equity perspective, research shows that girls and boys in the US score similarly on state tests in primary and secondary grades. However, the gender gap grows in elementary school and is most pronounced among highest scoring students, particularly in secondary school and beyond.

Numeracy Boost is committed to furthering understanding around gender differences in math achievement. All NB data is disaggregated by gender and analysis is conducted to ensure equality of participation and equality in student learning outcomes.
A strong foundational math background is a pre-cursor to later school success. Children need a solid foundation understanding of key math skills including basic concepts such as operations, geometry and measurement in order to succeed in life and in school. However, most classrooms that SC works in employ a theoretical nature of traditional math teaching methods and limited support for learning math at home, leading to a
shallow understanding of foundational math skills. Numeracy Boost is seeking to address these gaps. It is clear that a strong foundational math background benefits children in school and beyond.

In their landmark study, Levy and Murnane showed how basic math skill acquisition in the early grades is an increasingly important determinant of subsequent wages. More recent research has found that early exposure to math concepts and activities positively impacts later school achievement6 and that early math knowledge is an even greater predictor of later academic success than early literacy abilities. Coupled with the crisis in literacy learning, children who also have an inadequate math background will have even more limited educational options and opportunities, increasing inequity in classrooms where children who are the most marginalized already struggle deeply.

Through its work in Numeracy Boost, Save the Children is calling for increased attention to all learning outcomes, including early grades math, and aims to strengthen foundational math skills in these critical early years.