CCSSO Releases Recommendations on Improving Math Outcomes

Educators can shore up math proficiency in students as a foundation for in-demand careers in IT, cybersecurity, and AI.

Topics: Curriculum and Instruction

The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) released a report, “A Nation of Problem-Solvers: How State Leaders Can Help Every Student Achieve in Math,” to help educators shore up math proficiency in students as a foundation for in-demand careers in information technology, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence.

Based on promising practices from various states, the report suggests six actions education leaders can take to improve student math outcomes:

  1. Signal quality. Incentivize the adoption of high- quality instructional materials that display focus and coherence, rigor in mathematical practices, and instructional supports and usability.
  2. Incentivize partnerships with high-quality professional learning providers. Teaching practices must support instructional materials with curriculum- embedded professional learning.
  3. Provide guidance and support to districts. States can help districts evaluate the alignment between supplemental and core curricula and provide just-in-time interventions such as tutoring.
  4. Streamline assessment and leverage real-time student data. A coherent assessment plan clarifies the purpose of each assessment and eliminates redundancies, increasing instructional time.
  5. Expand early access to advanced mathematics courses. Offering Algebra I in middle school, for example, permits students to go beyond the common math sequence requirements.
  6. Align state education resources to support implementation. States can align priorities and resources to support a vision for high-quality math instruction.