This transformative change was achieved in a decile 1 school with an Equity Index of 523^[1] serving a low socio-economic community. In the Mathematics achievement analysis end of year 2022 report, the Maths Lead Teacher at Takanini, Jarrod Pihama, explained the improvement:

‘Following Covid disruption in 2021 when our achievement rate in maths was 50% school-wide, significant lifts in achievement have been observed in 2022. This is both across the school and within Māori and Pasifika cohorts in particular. This speaks to the effectiveness of implementing DMIC within our school and the professional development teachers have undertaken and continue to undertake as part of a three-year implementation process.’

Deputy Principal, Jayne Senington explains:

‘For the past few years our target group for underachievement had always been our Pasifika students^[2]. When we started to do the mid-year data last year we noticed a marked increase, not just with our Pasifika students but across all ethnicities, across all year groups as well. (Achievement) continued to increase over the latter part of the year so in all ethnicities, gender as well. The Pasifika students were our greatest increase, we’ve not managed that in any other way before, so it’s telling us that we’re on the right track and energised us to continue with DMIC (Developing Mathematical Inquiry Communities).’

Years 7 & 8 Team Leader, Natalie Wright explains:

‘Before we even got the big shifts in data, I could see the value in it because I could see the engagement from the students but when you get a more than 20% shift in data. I mean, that’s huge. Nothing we’ve ever done before in our school for maths has ever got us that shift…once teachers start seeing the capability of their students and the progress they can make then that is very motivating to stick with something that to start with is quite difficult to get your head around and change – your big shift in pedagogy.’

A range of valued outcomes

The best evidence in action series on DMIC implementations demonstrate not only shifts in equity and excellence; but also positive shifts in ākonga wellbeing and sense of belonging^[3]. Takanini School leadership also report and exemplify such shifts including children:

• no longer silent, but enthusiastically and confidently participating in maths
• being able to provide evidence for their mathematical thinking
• moving from procedural to conceptual understandings of maths
• talking about really enjoying working with their peers
• demonstrating specific skills for collaborating in a group
• feeling proud to be their culture and wanting even more of their home languages and culture embedded in lessons^[4].

Footnotes

1. Equity Index: Summary of the 2023 numbers
2. See national data from the National Monitoring Student of Student Achievement NMSSA 2018: Mathematics and Statistics | Education Counts. Against the mathematics curriculum, learners are expected to have achieved at ‘Level 4’ by the end of Year 8. In 2018, 45% of Year 8 learners were ‘at’ or ‘above’ the expected curriculum level, up from 41% in 2013. Scores for Māori students were lower, on average, than non-Māori by 11 MS units at both year levels (4 & 8). Pacific students scored lower, on average, than non-Pacific by 15 MS units at Year 4 and 13 MS units at Year 8.
3. In addition to achievement gains there have been decreases in bullying associated with DMIC (e.g. decrease Porirua implementation shift from 20.5% to 7.4% of students reporting being hit, kicked or hurt by other students at least once a week) and shifts in identity - "I feel proud in my maths lesson today by carrying my family with me."
   "I felt bad 'cause people tease my culture... (in maths now) I feel normal."
4. See an early example demonstrating the power of translanguaging in DMIC (Hangaia te Urupounamu Pāngarau mō Tātou): 05 Geometry - Connections: Tapa – Siapo – Ngatu | Education Counts.