Math scores are seeing a spike in Chinook School Division, just two years into a math intervention program.

With the program, select students in the division in grades K-2 and 6-9 are given additional opportunities to build a foundation of understanding in mathematics.

Grades K-2 have seen a 45% increase in math comprehension from last year until now.

However, grades 8 and 9 have seen significantly lower levels, with testing showing around 20% lower marks for the two grades compared to lower grades.

Ed Varjassy, a curriculum coordinator and math teacher in the Division, speaks on the reasoning behind the decrease.

"I think it's a compounding issue - If students have gaps from past grades, they can't fully understand that concept so they develop some more gaps.

Then they move up into a new grade and more concepts are thrown at them; it's just a snowball effect.

We see that with our results - the students who have the gaps and are starting to fall behind just keep falling further and further behind," he said.

Despite certain scores being lower than previously hoped, testing scores improved for each grade at the end of last year when compared with the start.

Improvements in the 2015-2016 for those students requiring the math intervention include:

- Grade 6: 6.2%

- Grade 7: 7.7%

- Grade 8: 0.5%

- Grade 9: 16%

Combined, the students involved with math interventions showed a 6.7% increase in testing scores for last year.

The curriculum coordinator is happy to see these improvements, and understands the learning process can be difficult.

"Math is a tricky thing because it's ever-expanding. Although we're laying the foundations with basic number concepts, which are crucial, if it's not done well then students will struggle with the next set of concepts like multiplication and division.

It's just really crucial that we stay on top of those misunderstandings and do a good job of building a really solid learning base for them," he said.

Varjassy says he is confident in the programs in place, and hopes Chinook School Division continues to see the improvement which the students are showing.