States Mapping a Plan for Better School Math Performance Ahead of Next National Assessment

A new report says colleges and universities do not provide enough math instruction to aspiring teachers.

Traditional math curriculums can be supplemented with real-life problem-solving activities to keep students motivated. gpointstudio/Adobe Stock

Dismal math scores on the latest national standardized tests have prompted several state legislatures to propose updated teacher training requirements and better numeracy instruction.

Sixty-seven bills related to math in public schools have been introduced so far this year, according to a review of state legislatures. Most are pending, and several, if signed into law, would take effect before the next academic year.

The list includes a proposed ban on calculators in grades K–8; a virtual reality math instruction pilot program in Rhode Island; stricter certification requirements for future math teachers in Florida and Oklahoma; and regular numeracy screenings and interventions for younger students across several states, aimed at helping students reach proficiency levels before high school.

Education leaders in all states are hoping for improvements in the next National Assessment of Educational Progress, which measures math and reading performance for students in fourth and eighth grades every two years.

The 2024 national assessments indicated that 60 percent of U.S. fourth graders and 72 percent of eighth graders scored below their respective grade levels.

The test results website indicates that most fourth graders could not identify a parallelogram, a four-sided object with opposite angles of equal measure and opposite sides of equal length. On the eighth grade assessment, most students failed to identify the correct missing digits in a subtraction problem.

With those results in mind, Iowa is moving ahead with a plan to screen students between kindergarten and sixth grade three times per year and quickly implement personalized learning plans for students falling behind grade level.

The Iowa Senate on April 7 passed a bill mandating and funding student intervention measures and additional training for math teachers. Gov. Kim Reynolds said she will sign the measure into law.

“One of the greatest predictors of future success in the classroom and workplace, along with early literacy, is mathematics competency,” she said in an April 7 statement. “At an early age, we need to identify children who are not yet proficient in math and ensure they receive the personalized help they need to build a strong foundation.”

Lawmakers in the Bluegrass State passed the Kentucky Numeracy Counts Act in 2024. That law aims to put more trained math teachers in elementary schools to help students reach proficiency levels before sixth grade. Its first phases have already taken effect.

Micki Ray Marinelli, chief academic officer for the Kentucky Department of Education, said the Numeracy Counts Act is an intensive program that seeks to turn around math performance quickly. Elementary school students are assessed at the start of a school year and provided with an improvement plan that family members can participate in.

“They’re given at-home support,” Marinelli said during an April 4 panel discussion hosted by the National Conference of State Legislators. “Not homework, but where folks want to come together to engage in mathematical thinking.”

An April 8 research report from the National Council on Teacher Quality states that higher education institutions also need to up their game to boost student outcomes. It notes that only one in eight elementary teacher preparation programs adequately teach math instruction for grades K–5.

The report states that most university undergraduate and graduate programs fall well short of requiring the recommended 150 instruction hours, or completion of 10 credit hours, specific to learning the necessary math content and teaching methods for educating students before they reach middle school.

The average undergraduate program provides 85 instruction hours, and the average graduate program provides 14 instruction hours.

The nonprofit education policy organization gave 22 percent of undergraduate programs and more than 80 percent of graduate programs a grade of F for their teacher training preparation.

“Teachers need to know how to do more than just follow the steps in math to get the right answer,” Heather Peske, president of the National Council on Teacher Quality, said in an April 8 statement. “They need to know why those steps work.

“It’s like the difference between a basketball player and a coach. The player can learn their role and follow directions, but the coach needs to understand the bigger picture—the why behind every move.”

The report grades every college and university that has a teacher training program. Some of the most selective and prestigious institutions have a grade of F. There are no grading trends by size of institution, cost, location, or private versus public status.

Albany State University in Georgia, an undergraduate program that received an A+ on the list, requires 225 hours of classroom time for elementary math instruction, the report states.

The proposed state laws for raising math teacher training standards in Indiana, Maryland, Oklahoma, and Florida are a step in the right direction, Peske told The Epoch Times via email. Legislators in the Sunshine State, for example, want to increase the minimum number of math-specific instruction hours for aspiring teachers from 40 hours to 90 hours.

“Over the past few years, states have rightly been focused on reading, but math is just as critical,“ Peske said. ”Strong math skills add up to better reading scores, stronger college readiness, and eventually higher earnings for students.”

Joel Rose, a former fifth grade teacher, is the CEO of New Classrooms, a nonprofit agency that helps districts improve math instruction. He said U.S. public education needs to end its stubborn tradition of holding advanced students back while shortchanging students who are falling behind.

Children who excel in math should be allowed to attend advanced classes beyond their grade level. This would give the teacher who would otherwise instruct that child more time to work with another student who needs more help.

“It’s about a divorce between grade levels based on math education,” Rose said during an April 1 panel discussion hosted by the American Enterprise Institute.

“Grade levels always win. We want math to win.”