If the newest round of National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores has taught us anything, it’s that waiting for scores to drift back up to pre-pandemic levels is not a strategy. Twelfth grade math scores fell to their lowest level since the test began in 2005. In recent years, states have embraced literacy reform through the “science of reading” and have experienced real gains. It’s time to bring that same urgency and practicality to math with numeracy.
Numeracy is the ability to recognize, understand and apply math in everyday contexts. Early skills — such as number sense, place value, pattern recognition, arithmetic and understanding operations — become lifelong tools. Research from the Urban Institute shows that strong math skills are stronger predictors of landing high-demand, well-paid careers than reading gains or even health factors.
But if numeracy is so important, why has math reform been largely neglected while our math scores continue to fall?
The problem is twofold. First, families rarely get a clear, timely picture of their child’s progress, creating an “awareness” or “honesty gap” where grades look fine but mastery lags. Parents hear “approaching grade level” and assume “on track,” only to be blindsided by alarming test results later. Second, we intervene too late. Because math builds on itself, a 6-year-old’s small confusion can snowball into a 9-year-old’s frustration and a 15-year-old’s closed door.
How can schools improve math scores?
The good news is we don’t need a moonshot to change trajectories. Here are five policy solutions school districts can implement to improve math scores this year:
First, adopt early screeners for math. Introducing screeners can flag gaps in understanding early before the child falls behind. When screener data shows a child is struggling, teachers can immediately respond with an individualized math plan, ensuring students progress toward grade level expectations with confidence and a solid mathematical foundation.
Second, combine explicit and sequential teacher-directed instruction with student-centered practices. Explicit instruction has been shown to be one of the most effective approaches to use when students need additional math support. Explicit instruction is more than just routine delivery of mathematics. It is a dynamic and responsive educational practice that includes ongoing checks for understanding, fosters student engagement and can adapt to student needs in real time. Explicit instruction, when used regularly, can make complex ideas more transparent and accessible to all students.
Next, engage in frequent and objective progress monitoring. Mathematical mastery of grade-level expectations is the goal for all students. Evidence tells us that frequent monitoring of student growth is imperative to track progress so teachers can jump in when learning isn’t going as intended to adjust instruction in real time — maximizing each student’s opportunity to thrive.
Additionally, make sure parents are informed of their child’s progress. Parents have a right to know specific information, beyond just a letter grade, about how their child is performing. A comprehensive intervention plan for students who struggle includes evidence-based resources for parents or caregivers to use for support at home.
Finally, provide educators with professional development opportunities. We’ve all heard the phrase “practice makes perfect.” The same wisdom applies to teaching! To deepen math content and hone evidence-based instructional practices, educators must have access to professional development. All professional development should be rooted in developing the four strands of mathematical proficiency (real-world problem solving, procedural fluency, conceptual understanding and productive dispositions) and include pedagogical practices that maximize student learning of mathematics.
If you’re thinking this sounds a lot like the literacy playbook, you’re right. The states that treated numeracy like early reading are already seeing results. Alabama built a focused system around screeners, coaching and K–5 support, and it was the only state to see post-pandemic gains in 4th grade math. Alabama didn’t perform a miracle. Instead, it focused on early, targeted and relentless mathematics support.
Reading had its revolution because we got serious about what works. Math is asking for the same. Let’s give it the attention it deserves by starting early and now.
For more information on how to implement numeracy in your school district, check out the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty’s model policy on numeracy and the accompanying study, "Closing Wisconsin’s Math Gap: A Call for Early Numeracy Reform." For more information on evidence-based math policy, check out ExcelinEd’s Policy Playbook on Math.