California urges double down on math

Stanford-linked researchers said on May 13 that California needs to put more sustained attention on mathematics after a new review found widening achievement gaps, weak teacher support and uneven district follow-through. EdSource reported the findings from a Getting Down to Facts III brief on California math, published in May 2026, that drew on work by Stanford and other researchers. The brief said math has received less consistent state and district attention than literacy, even as performance gaps have grown. California’s 2023 Mathematics Framework is now in place, but the authors said implementation decisions made in the next several years will shape classroom practice for the next decade. ### How large is the gap researchers are pointing to? Sean Reardon, director of the Stanford Education Data Archive, calculated that the gap in math achievement between students in California’s highest- and lowest-income districts grew from 1.9 grade levels in 2009 to 2.7 grade levels in 2024. EdSource said that amounted to a roughly 40% increase over the period, while reading gaps narrowed modestly. The Getting Down to Facts brief said the math gap appears before third grade and widens as students move through K-8. (edsource.org) California’s 2025 Smarter Balanced results show the scale of the problem in statewide testing. The California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress site said 33.94% of students statewide met or exceeded the math standard in 2025, while the Public Policy Institute of California rounded that figure to over a third. PPIC said low-income students posted a 26% math proficiency rate, compared with 58% for students from higher-income households. (edsource.org) ### Why do the researchers say math has slipped behind literacy? Elizabeth Huffaker and her co-authors wrote that California’s math and literacy paths have diverged over the past decade. The brief said literacy has benefited from dedicated funding, assessment emphasis and a clearer implementation chain, while math has lacked what the authors called a comparable policy architecture. EdSource reported that 63% of California districts ranked English language arts as their top priority, while only 16% ranked math first, behind both literacy and social-emotional learning. (caaspp-elpac.ets.org) May 7 marked the release of Getting Down to Facts III, a statewide research effort organized through Stanford’s SCALE initiative. The project includes 22 research briefs and 55 technical reports, according to ED100’s summary of the release. The math brief places the subject inside a broader argument that California’s school system has struggled to connect state goals with local execution. ### What is happening inside classrooms and districts? (gettingdowntofacts.com) EdSource reported that one in five districts offered no consistent math training in the 2024-25 school year and that most available professional development was voluntary. The Getting Down to Facts brief said highest-need districts face the biggest difficulty hiring and retaining prepared math teachers, while the dominant credentialing pathway compresses preparation into a single post-baccalaureate year. (ed100.org) The authors said those conditions leave many teachers with limited preparation and little ongoing coaching. The California Department of Education says the Mathematics Framework includes guidance on teaching, assessment and educator support across grades TK-12. The framework was adopted by the State Board of Education on July 12, 2023, and the department says it is intended to align instruction with California’s math standards and research-based practices. The Getting Down to Facts brief said many districts still have not treated that framework as a central driver of their work. (edsource.org) ### Which early-grade routines are researchers trying to protect? EdSource said the research supports keeping short, daily diagnostic routines in elementary classrooms, including number talks, fluency strands and mini-whiteboard checks. The article said those practices can help teachers spot misconceptions quickly and respond before students fall further behind. The argument in the brief is that early slippage in math tends to persist unless schools intervene directly. (cde.ca.gov) The Getting Down to Facts brief said the gap is visible before third grade and grows within student cohorts over time. That finding is one reason the authors focused on early instruction, teacher capacity and local implementation rather than a single curriculum change. ### What comes next for California schools? November 2025 was the date California released its first list of instructional materials aligned to the 2023 Mathematics Framework, according to the Getting Down to Facts brief. (edsource.org) The authors said the state is now entering a period in which implementation choices are likely to shape K-12 math for the next decade. The California Department of Education continues to post the framework, chapter summaries and implementation resources for districts and educators. (gettingdowntofacts.com)