California weighs kindergarten math tests to fix falling scores

California kindergarten – California lawmakers are advancing Senate Bill 1067, which would require public schools to screen students in kindergarten through second grade for early math difficulties. Supporters say early identification could prevent a steady decline in math achievement.

On a summer afternoon in Compton. students at Laurel Street Elementary are practicing the kind of early math that lawmakers say gets missed too often—before it becomes hard to catch up. A teacher writes “subtract. ” “difference. ” “count back. ” and “regroup” on the whiteboard as children work through addition problems in groups of four. counting by tens and checking one another’s answers.

In that classroom. the goal is simple and tangible: make sure kids understand what numbers mean and how to use them. In Sacramento, that same question is driving a proposed statewide shift. Confronted with math test results 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: giving kindergartners a math test early enough to see whether they are ready for the rigors of first grade.

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.

Supporters frame the screening as a matter of timing. They want answers to questions that can be hard to diagnose later: Do children 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?

The bill is designed to let teachers find weaknesses before they sink in. That urgency is built on data lawmakers say is sobering. 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, supporters say, are the start of a steady decline in standardized math assessments through high school.

Senate Bill 1067 passed the California Senate unanimously in May and is slated to be heard by the Assembly on Wednesday.

If approved. recent amendments being considered would shift how the assessment is framed—assessing a kindergartner’s math knowledge rather than screening for math deficiencies. Parents would be notified of the results. and schools would be required to report the results to the California Department of Education.

The proposal draws a parallel with California’s early literacy screening program, which was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2023 and rolled out this school year. That program assesses kindergartners, first- and second-graders for reading difficulties.

For math, the bill would require the State Board of Education to establish criteria for selecting assessments. The education department would then develop a recommended list of tests that meet those standards for schools. Assessments would be required by the 2028-29 school year.

Whether it works may come down to what “math readiness” means for a 5-year-old. Researchers say the assessments focus on what’s known as early number sense—counting sets of objects and grasping basic addition and subtraction. In kindergarten, children manipulate objects rather than written numerals. Alice Klein. a developmental psychologist who studies early math screening and intervention. says beginning in kindergarten. children’s number knowledge becomes more formal and symbol-based.

Klein describes what that looks like: 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, educators show kindergartners a photo of 10 cows and ask students to count them. It can look simple. but supporters say it reveals critical gaps—if a child miscounts. counts one cow twice or skips one. they may need work on their number sense. Klein said, “Early number sense is the single best predictor of academic success in elementary school.”.

By first and second grade, the problems become more symbolic, presented verbally and using numerals.

Still, the money and the response plan are where the debate tightens.

The bill proposes 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 critics say the funding doesn’t align with what schools say they most need: intervention plans once a test identifies students who are behind.

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.

He added that L.A. Unified schools and teachers, at their discretion, already use math assessment tools.

California Teacher Assn. President David Goldberg agrees that identifying students early isn’t enough by itself. “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.”.

An education expert raised another concern: that the bill risks putting the burden on districts without giving teachers enough practical 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. She said many teachers would respond with anger and anxiety if students keep testing poorly and they lack guidance on what to do differently.

Stipek also argues a screening won’t capture what learning math looks like in its entirety. Nicole Estrada, a first-grade teacher at Lucille J. Smith Elementary in Lawndale. said. “Math. so much of it. especially in the primary grades is hands-on.” She added. “It’s them touching things. counting them. drawing things. I think a screener would be really difficult for kids like that.”.

Even supporters acknowledge the test itself could be demanding. Administering a one-on-one assessment would be time-consuming, pulling teachers away from instructional time.

But Pierson said there is a real sense of urgency, warning that delaying intervention carries 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.”

That argument meets a question teachers are already asking in classrooms: if the intervention isn’t built into the system, what does “identifying” really change?

Pierson said she expects the bill to reach the governor’s desk before the legislative session ends in late August.

Compton Unified, meanwhile, is acting as if the answer can’t wait. According to Jennifer Moon. Compton Unified’s executive director of educational services for K-8. the district has been screening students for math difficulties three times a year for students in kindergarten through eighth grade. If a student scores below 80%, they are placed in an intervention group.

At Laurel Street Elementary, kindergarten through 2nd graders also participate in a summer bridge program to continue learning foundational math skills if they need a boost for concepts introduced during the school year.

Moon described the district’s approach as data-driven and frequent. 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.

For parents watching their children learn math in real time, the stakes are less abstract than the statewide numbers suggest. In Compton. the students chanting “A plus sign!” as they answer a question about which sign comes with addition are doing more than practicing a lesson. They’re building the early habits that supporters of Senate Bill 1067 say determine whether learning can keep pace as the grade level rises.

Whether California chooses to make that early check universal is now in lawmakers’ hands, with the Assembly set to hear Senate Bill 1067 on Wednesday.

This article is part of The Times’ early childhood education initiative, focusing on the learning and development of California children from birth through age 5.

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