Confronted with math test scores showing that 68% of California public school third-graders do not meet grade-level standards, state lawmakers are considering one way to potentially reverse the trend: Give kindergartners a math test to find out if they are ready for the rigors of first grade.
Do they have a sense of what numbers mean? Can they group items? Can they compare quantities? Do they know the difference between a square and a circle?
By discovering what the state’s youngest students know about early, foundational math concepts, teachers can better target weaknesses before their skills sink, said supporters of the early tests.
Senate Bill 1067, authored by Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson (D-La Mesa), would require every public school to assess students in kindergarten through second grade for early math difficulties and provide additional support to those who are struggling.
The law aims to address sobering data. California ranks 43rd in the country in fourth-grade math achievement. Only about 38% of public school students test at or above grade level when testing begins in third grade. And early scores are the start of a steady decline in standardized math assessments through high school.
The bill passed the California Senate unanimously in May and is slated to be heard by the Assembly on Wednesday.
Recent amendments to be considered include assessing a kindergartner’s math knowledge rather than screening for math deficiencies, something that would help identify students who need additional support. Parents would be notified of the results and schools would be required to report the results to the California Department of Education.
The proposed law shares similar goals with California’s early literacy screening program — signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2023 and rolled out this school year — which assesses kindergartners, first- and second-graders for reading difficulties.
The math bill calls for the State Board of Education to establish criteria for selecting assessments and then the education department would develop a recommended list of tests that meet those standards for schools. Assessments would be required by the 2028-29 school year.
What does math readiness look like for a 5-year-old?
Researchers say the assessments focus on what’s known as early number sense: a child’s ability to count sets of objects, and grasp basic addition and subtraction. In kindergarten, that means manipulating objects rather than written numerals.
Beginning in kindergarten, children’s knowledge of numbers becomes more formal and symbol-based, according to Alice Klein, a developmental psychologist who studies early math screening and intervention. This means a child should be able to count a set of 10 or 15 tokens or blocks, recognize numerals up to 10 and match a set of objects with the correct numeral.
In the Compton Unified School District, for example, educators show kindergartners a photo of 10 cows and ask students to count them. It looks simple, but if a child miscounts, counts one cow twice or skips one, it reveals they need to work on their number sense.
“Early number sense is the single best predictor of academic success in elementary school,” Klein said. By first and second grade, problems become more symbolic, are presented verbally and use numerals.
How would the math assessment be funded?
The bill proposes for around $106 million over four years after approval to cover the work of the expert panel, district preparation and teacher training before the 2028-29 test mandate would take effect.
Some point out that there is no dedicated funding for what is most needed: Intervention plans for a child if the assessment reveals students aren’t on track.
Los Angeles Unified school board member Nick Melvoin said he supports the spirit of early math identification, but has reservations about whether a statewide assessment mandate is the right mechanism.
“When you’re a kindergartner, especially depending on where you went to preschool, or because kindergarten is not mandatory in California, you can come to first grade and never have had any formal math,” Melvoin said.
L.A. Unified schools and teachers, at their discretion, already use math assessment tools.
California Teacher Assn. President David Goldberg agrees that simply mandating a new test is not enough and a clear pathway to address challenges identified by the assessment is needed.
“In California, funding for math instruction, assessment and educator professional development is far below what is spent on literacy,” Goldberg said. “SB 1067 does not address that disparity or provide more support for students and educators to overcome ongoing learning challenges in math.”
One education expert said the bill targets early math intervention incorrectly, putting the burden on districts without giving teachers the tools to act on what the assessment finds.
“It basically just says: Test kids, figure out which ones are having difficulty — and in many school districts that’s going to be over 50% — and then fix it,” said Deborah Stipek, a professor emeritus at Stanford University specializing in early childhood and elementary education. “Among teachers it’s going to get you a lot of anger and anxiety, because their kids keep testing poorly and they don’t know what to do differently.”
Stipek says a assessment won’t capture what learning math looks like in its entirety — and some teachers tend to agree.
“Math, so much of it, especially in the primary grades is hands-on,” said Nicole Estrada, a first-grade teacher at Lucille J. Smith Elementary in Lawndale. “It’s them touching things, counting them, drawing things. I think a screener would be really difficult for kids like that.”
Administering the one-on-one assessment is also time-consuming, pulling teachers away from instructional time.
But Pierson said there is a real sense of urgency, warning that delaying intervention has lasting costs.
“When we wait and see, we are losing more students,” Pierson said. “We’ll look up and 10 years have gone by, we’ve lost a whole other generation of students.”
What’s next for the bill
Pierson said she expects the bill to reach the governor’s desk before the legislative session ends in late August. But some districts aren’t waiting for a law to act.
Compton Unified has been screening students for math difficulties three times a year for students in kindergarten through eighth grade, according to Jennifer Moon, Compton Unified’s executive director of educational services for K-8. If a student scores below 80%, they are placed in an intervention group.
Kindergarten through 2nd graders at Laurel Elementary in Compton participate in a summer bridge program to continue learning foundational math skills if they need a boost for concepts introduced during the school year.
On the whiteboard are the words: subtract, difference, count back, regroup.
“To bring numbers together, you need a what sign?” asks teacher Elsa Meza.
“A plus sign!” the kids call back.
In groups of four, the children worked through addition problems, counted by tens and checked each other’s answers.
“If you don’t test, how do you know if your students are mastering the concepts?” Moon asked.
The district tracks individual student data every six to eight weeks to determine whether a child should continue receiving support or exit the intervention group.
“I firmly believe that this bill will definitely help and support other districts,” she said.
This article is part of The Times’ early childhood education initiative, focusing on the learning and development of California children from birth to age 5. For more information about the initiative and its philanthropic funders, go to latimes.com/earlyed.
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