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

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

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 assessments, which measure math and reading performance for fourth and eighth graders every two years.

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With those results in mind, Iowa is moving ahead with a plan to screen students between kindergarten and grade 6 three times a 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’ll sign the measure into law.

Lawmakers in the Bluegrass State passed the Kentucky Numeracy Counts Act last year. That law, which took effect this fall, puts more trained math teachers in elementary schools to help students reach proficiency levels before grade 6.

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 math performance around quickly. Elementary school students are assessed at the start of a school year and provided an improvement plan family members can participate in.

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

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

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

“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 were graded an F, and there are no grading trends by size of institution, cost, location, or private versus public status.

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

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

Joel Rose, a former fifth-grade teacher and chief executive officer of New Classrooms, a nonprofit agency that helps districts improve math instruction, 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 allow the teacher who would otherwise instruct that child more time to work with another student who needs more help.

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