Faced with math test scores showing that 68% of California public school third-graders are not meeting grade-level standards, state lawmakers are considering one way to reverse the trend: Give kindergarteners a math test to determine if they’re ready for first-grade rigor.
Do they have any idea what the numbers mean? Can they collect things? Can they compare prices? Do they know the difference between a square and a circle?
By finding out what the state’s youngest students know about early, basic math concepts, teachers can better target weaknesses before their skills sink, proponents of early testing say.
Senate Bill 1067written by Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson (D-La Mesa), would require all public schools to test students in kindergarten through second grade for early math problems and provide more support for those who struggle.
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The law aims to address sobering data. California you are level 43 in the country in fourth grade math achievement. Only about 38% of public school students test at grade level or higher if testing begins in third grade. And the early scores are the start of a steady decline on standardized math tests through high school.
The bill passed the California Senate unanimously in May and is expected to be heard by the House on Wednesday.
Recent amendments to be considered include testing kindergarten math knowledge instead of testing for math deficits, something that could help identify students who need extra support. Parents will be notified of the results and schools will be required to report the results to the California Department of Education.
Classroom assistant Daniella Zelaya helps a student with his math at Laurel Street Elementary in Compton.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
The proposed legislation shares the same goals as California’s literacy testing program – signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2023 and was introduced this school year – testing kindergarteners, first and second graders for learning disabilities.
The math bill calls for the State Board of Education to establish a test selection process and then the education department to create a recommended list of tests that meet those standards for schools. Testing will be required for the 2028-29 school year.
What does math readiness look like for a 5-year-old?
The researchers say the test focuses on what’s known as early number sense: a child’s ability to count sets of objects, and to grasp basic addition and subtraction. In kindergarten, that means handling objects instead of written numbers.
Beginning in kindergarten, children’s knowledge of numbers becomes formal and symbol-based, according to Alice Klein, a developmental psychologist who studies early math assessment and intervention. This means that a child should be able to count a set of 10 or 15 tokens or blocks, recognize numbers up to 10 and match a set of objects to the correct number.
For example, in the Compton Unified School District, teachers show preschoolers a picture of 10 cows and ask students to count them. It seems simple, but if a child makes a mistake, counts one cow twice or skips one, it shows that he needs to work on his number sense.
“Early numeracy is the best predictor of academic success in elementary school,” Klein said. In first and second grade, problems are more symbolic, presented orally and using numbers.
How will math tests be funded?
The bill proposes about $106 million over four years after enactment to cover task force work, district preparation and teacher training before the 2028-29 testing mandate takes effect.
Others point out that there is no dedicated funding for what is most needed: Child intervention programs when tests show students are not on track.
Los Angeles Unified school board member Nick Melvoin said he supports the spirit of early math, but has doubts about whether a statewide testing mandate is the right approach.
A Laurel Street Elementary student is working on a math project.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
“If you’re in kindergarten, it mostly depends on where you went to school, or because kindergarten is not mandatory in California, you can get to first grade and never have formal math,” Melvoin said.
LA charter schools and teachers, in their opinion, are already using math assessment tools.
California Teacher Assn. President David Goldberg agrees that simply authorizing a new test is not enough and a clear approach to addressing the challenges identified by the test is needed.
“In California, funding for math education, assessment and teacher development is significantly less than what is spent on reading and writing,” Goldberg said. “SB 1067 does not address that divide or provide additional support for students and teachers to overcome persistent learning challenges in math.”
One education expert said the bill misdirects early math intervention, placing the burden on districts without giving teachers the tools to act on test findings.
“It basically just says: Test kids, find out which ones are struggling — and in most school districts that will be more than 50% — and fix them,” said Deborah Stipek, a senior professor at Stanford University who specializes in early childhood and early childhood education. “For the teachers, it will make you very angry and worried, because their children keep getting bad tests and they don’t know what to do differently.”
Stipek says tests can’t capture what reading math looks like overall — and other teachers tend to agree.
“Math, a lot of it, especially in the elementary grades is hands-on,” said Nicole Estrada, a first-grade teacher at Lucille J. Smith Elementary in Lawndale. “They are the ones that touch things, count, draw things. I think the tester can be really difficult for such children.”
Administering individual assessments is also time-consuming, drawing teachers away from teaching time.
But Pierson said there is a real sense of urgency, warning that delays in intervention have lasting costs.
“If we wait and see, we lose a lot of students,” Pierson said. “We will look and 10 years have passed, we have lost a generation of students.”
What’s next on the bill
Pierson said he expects the bill to reach the governor’s desk before the end of the legislative session in late August. But some villages are not waiting for the law to take effect.
Compton Unified has been testing students for math difficulty three times a year for students in kindergarten through eighth grade, according to Jennifer Moon, Compton Unified’s executive director of K-8 educational services. If a student scores less than 80%, they are placed in the intervention group.
Noah Garcia raises his hand during math class at Laurel Street Elementary.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
Kindergarten through 2nd grade students at Laurel Elementary in Compton are participating in a summer bridge program to continue learning basic math skills if they need to develop concepts introduced during the school year.
On the whiteboard are the words: subtract, difference, count backwards, recombine.
“To add numbers, what symbol do you need?” Teacher Elsa Meza asked.
“A plus sign!” the children are calling again.
In groups of four, the children worked on addition problems, counting by tens and checking each other’s answers.
“If you don’t test, how do you know your students know the concepts?” The Moon asked.
The district tracks each student’s data every six to eight weeks to determine whether the child should continue to receive support or exit the intervention group.
“I firmly believe that this bill will help and support other districts,” he said.
This article is part of The Times’ early childhood education program, which focuses on the learning and development of California children from birth to 5 years old. For more information about this program and its charitable sponsors, visit latimes.com/earlyed.
