Early Mathematics Education: a Primer for State Legislators © 2015 National Conference of State Legislatures Figure 1

Strong States, Strong Nation

EarlyEarly MathematicsMathematics EducationEducation

By Matt Weyer May 2015

tate policies for ensuring students are proficient This is the first in a series of briefs looking at early educa- readers by the end of third grade have been gaining tion. In this brief, research evidence, policy options and momentum across the country. These policies are state examples are presented to provide legislatures with a Sstrongly supported in research predicting future academic framework for enhancing early math education. Policy op- achievement. Unrecognized by many, early math skills have tions include developing mathematical knowledge in early also been strongly linked to subsequent academic achieve- education teachers, implementing research-based curricula ment, and are even more predictive than early reading lit- and including early math in STEM (Science, Technology, eracy. Students who demonstrate proficiency in math have Engineering and Math) education. higher achievement at age 15, and higher socioeconomic status (SES, a combination of income, housing and quality 1,2 of life) at 42. Additionally, investing in young learners Why Early Mathematics? has been demonstrated to produce significant returns on While there has been a well-documented push for improv- 3 investment, as much as 7 percent to 10 percent annually. ing literacy skills in prekindergarten through third grade, both in policy and research, a growing effort to develop Potential Answers early math skills is gaining traction. Bills introduced in 2015 in Alabama, Illinois and Iowa aim to provide devel- • Recognize the importance of early math as a predictor opmentally appropriate instruction in preschool, create of future academic achievement (stronger than early a strategic plan for redesigning K-12 STEM education, literacy). and fund K-12 math and science teachers, respectively.4 • Include early math instruction within the expanding The importance of developing early math skills among field of preschool. the youngest learners comes at a time when workforce development is becoming one of states’ economic priori- • Highlight the importance of early math as a founda- ties, prekindergarten is gaining more attention and teacher tional element in STEM education; young students education programs are drawing critical consideration. should understand and use math as a primary tool and language for learning these fields. Nationally, on average, substantially more time (as much as three times) is spent on reading-literacy activities.5 Because • Provide ongoing professional development for teach- 48 percent of 3- and 4-year-olds in the United States do ers and use research-based curricula to build a solid not attend any preschool program, only have informal infrastructure in schools. math learning experiences and begin intentional math instruction in school up to two years later than many of their 6,7 international peers, providing early math instruction Policy Options could lead to significant educational growth in the nation’s To improve math achievement and general long-term aca- students. demic achievement for all students—and for those living in poverty, in particular—three policy options are presented: In 2013, only 42 percent of fourth-graders scored at or improving educators’ mathematical content knowledge and above proficient in math on the National Assessment of expertise, using research-based curricula and building math Educational Progress (NAEP), and this number decreased skills as foundational to STEM education. Figure 1 illus- to 35 percent for eighth-graders.8 Additionally, large trates a selection of enacted legislation related to early math achievement gaps exist when comparing students with low education in each of these areas over the past five years. socioeconomic status to those who are middle- and high- SES, beginning as early as kindergarten and extending into high school.9,10 With 51 percent of public school students 11 1. Improving Educators’ Mathematical Content living at or below the poverty line, developing early math Knowledge (Mathematics Specialization) skills could help reduce the achievement gap. Research has demonstrated that students do better in math when their teachers have strong content knowledge; invest- Policy Questions ing in early childhood education does not generate significant learning growth if teachers are inexperienced or poorly • How can early math education improve long-term rated.12 Having a deep understanding of math concepts student achievement? and how children acquire them allows teachers to recognize • How do state legislatures create support for early individual differences in students’ knowledge, leading to mathematics legislation? more effective assessment, differentiation and intervention. Further, providing graduate-level degrees for early • What are potential policy levers? math specialization presents the opportunity for strong infrastructure to be developed in schools; math specialists

Professional Development and Credentialing Research-Based Mathematics Curricula STEM Education Building Awareness (Resolution or Memorial) Laws cover two or more of the above categories

Source: NCSL, 2015.

can coach and provide training to teachers in every school. • Utah HB 30: Expands a grant program by providing Research has confirmed that teachers perceive deficiencies stipends, professional development and leadership op- in their math professional development and that only 17 portunities to an experienced math teacher to help him percent of sampled teachers received math-specific training or her become a teacher leader. in their school.13 By addressing this issue, legislatures can Oklahoma SB 709: strengthen teachers’ skills and empower them to be confi- • Creates the Oklahoma Teacher dent in their math instruction. Recently, there has been a Recruitment Act, providing that public school teachers national push for improving teacher preparation programs. will be eligible to receive an annual salary stipend of The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) has $4,000 if they received a bachelor’s degree in science, developed a pilot project for overhauling teacher prepara- math or special education and 60 percent of their tion and licensing systems. To address the overproduc- classroom activity is spent in their degree area. tion of elementary school teachers and not enough math, science, bilingual and special education teachers, research- ers have suggested that requiring schools of education to 2. Employing Research-Based Early produce certain percentages of these types of teachers could Mathematics Curricula become a potential lever for policy formation, along with Young children sometimes have few structured experi- scholarships and loan forgiveness programs.14 Examples ences to learn, such as preschool, and this is especially so of bills introduced in 2015 that support improving K-12 for children from low-income families. For students in educators’ mathematical content knowledge include the primary grades, there is evidence that using a high-quality, following. research-based mathematics curriculum can improve early

3 | Early Mathematics Education: A Primer for State Legislators © 2015 National Conference of State Legislatures math achievement and oral language as well.15,16 There are state’s model academic standards, as determined by the several research-based curricula for early math, including state superintendent, and across grades in all schools. Big Math for Little Kids, Pre-K Mathematics and Building Blocks. Building Blocks is a National Science Foundation- funded prekindergarten through second-grade math 3. STEM Education curriculum based on a comprehensive research framework. This curriculum has been used primarily with students Math is the language of STEM; it is the foundational from low socioeconomic classes and has proven very suc- element that enables the development of skills in science, cessful in improving their early math achievement.17 The technology and engineering.21 By pushing for early math- developers of Building Blocks have studied its long-term ematics within STEM education, connections to economic effects through the completion of first grade and found and workforce development can be made and can garner positive gains when compared to students not using the increased attention and resources. Policy responses include curriculum. Further, when follow-up is provided in the the development of funding and grants, STEM centers to form of professional development and coaching for teach- provide educational services, relationship development be- ers over time, achievement was even higher.18 tween public and private sectors, STEM curricula research and development, and study of long-term economic and An emerging number of early math bills in 2015 focus on educational effects. Examples of bills introduced in 2015 using research-based curriculum, including the following. include the following. Alaska HB 36: • Creates a statewide early childhood • Indiana HB 1001: Creates the STEM Teacher Re- education plan for kindergarten through grade 12 that cruitment Fund. Appropriations may be used to pro- incorporates model curriculum; provides annual moni- vide grants to nonprofit organizations that place new toring and accountability stipulations. science, technology, engineering and math teachers in • Minnesota HB 739: Provides universal preschool for elementary and high schools located in underserved 4-year-olds; programs must offer compensatory ser- areas. vices in language, literacy and mathematical thinking • Massachusetts HB 306: Requires each school district in a developmentally appropriate manner. to develop and implement a plan to include inquiry- • Wisconsin SB 1: Employs a standard, consistent, based instruction for STEM-related fields taught in research-based curriculum that is aligned with the K-12 public schools.

Early Math and Students’ Poverty Levels Students living in poverty represent the majority of all public school students nationally. Research-based mathematics curricula can help close the achievement gap and improve long-term academic achievement outcomes for all students.

40 percent Percentage of low-socioeconomic children demonstrating mathematical proficiency in preschool19

87 percent Percentage of high-socioeconomic children demonstrating mathematical proficiency in preschool

Percentage of poverty-level students in the sample used to study the effectiveness of Building 83 percent Blocks, which found significant gains for students receiving the curriculum compared to the control group20

4 | Early Mathematics Education: A Primer for State Legislators © 2015 National Conference of State Legislatures • Washington HB 1106: Appropriates funding for Conclusion expanding a mobile STEM center to students in rural, tribal and low-income communities. The policy options discussed here—developing mathematical content knowledge and expertise of early educators, Addressing the issue of early math education within STEM creating and implementing research-based mathematics education acknowledges that math is the foundation curriculum, and highlighting the importance of early math for the development of skills in science, technology and within STEM education—address early mathematics engineering, and that early math is correlated to long-term education and its potential to enhance long-term academic academic achievement. achievement. State legislatures may want to consider emphasizing early math’s predictive ability, enhancing school infrastructure through professional development, encouraging mathematics specialization and studying the economic implications of STEM education.

Resources

Colorado Department of Education, Office of Early National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Main Page Childhood-Early Childhood Leadership Commission www.nctm.org/ www.coloradoofficeofearlychildhood.com/; www.coloradoofficeofearlychildhood.com/#!early-childhood-leader- National Association for the Education of Young Children, ship-commission/c24hv State Trends www.naeyc.org/policy/statetrends Council of Chief State School Officers www.ccsso.org NCSL, Education Main Page www.ncsl.org/research/education/early-mathematics.aspx Erikson Institute, Early Math Collaborative http://earlymath.erikson.edu/ National Governors Association, Center for Best Practices- Education Division Heising-Simons Foundation, Early Math www.nga.org/cms/center/edu http://earlymath.org/ Robin Hood, Early Childhood Research Initiative MDRC, Making Pre-K Count https://www.robinhood.org/initiatives/early-childhood www.mdrc.org/project/making-pre-k-count www.mdrc.org/project/making-pre-k-count#overview What Works Clearinghouse, Math http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/topic.aspx?sid=9

This information brief was made possible by the generous support of the Heising- Simons Foundation. The views presented are those of the author’s and do not necessarily represent those of the Heising-Simons Foundation.

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