- Michigan students are struggling in math
- Leaders say they have seen student growth in skill and confidence through a math program that is ending
- Math experts are split on if Michigan should impose new requirements, similar to the state’s approach to literacy
As Michigan goes all in on literacy, some are asking: What about math?
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and State Superintendent Glenn Maleyko have said literacy is their top priority. Legislators have passed new laws, including one requiring elementary teachers to learn the “science of reading.”
But similar requirements do not exist in math, and while experts are split on whether new requirements are needed they agree that more attention should be paid to math.
Just 35.5% of third through eighth graders in Michigan are proficient in math compared to 44% in literacy, according to a Chalkbeat analysis of standardized test results.
Look up your district’s results here.
Math teachers, consultants and researchers say math is necessary to helping students develop critical thinking and problem solving skills.
Related:
- Michigan must focus literacy efforts on older students, too, experts say
- Michigan reading scores drop again. State superintendent: ‘We need to improve’
- Michigan absenteeism inches down; 1 in 4 still miss too much school
- As Michigan falls further behind, some ask: Time to overhaul high school?
Building a math-proficient workforce could have long-term implications for Michigan’s economy. Students’ future earnings and access to well-paying jobs may be on the line in a state aiming to be more competitive. Taking more math and getting higher math scores are linked to higher earnings, and jobs in math-related professions like data science are expected to grow faster than other fields.
“Math’s a gatekeeper…just think about the SAT,” said Heather Hill, a Harvard professor who studies math instruction. “It’s a gatekeeper for going to college. It’s a gatekeeper for a lot of professions that require a little bit more technical expertise.”
Michigan is providing $5 million to vet math curricula and $8 million for science, technology, engineering and math programs commonly known as STEM. Those programs are aimed toward increasing math and science test scores, college and career readiness and degrees and credentials in STEM fields.
That’s significantly less than the state is spending to boost literacy. The state dedicated a total of $151.4 million toward literacy materials over the last two years and is putting another $50 million in the next budget. There is also funding for teacher training and literacy coaches.
But that budget does not include funding for at least one program aimed at improving math instruction and achievement. The Early Mathematics project from the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators, or MAISA, ran for two school years but ends this month. It received $10.4 million from a $25 million state fund “to support the improvement of mathematics teaching and learning” across two years.
The Early Mathematics project pairs districts whose math scores are below average with an early-math specialist. The specialists hold one-on-one coaching sessions with teachers and lead “learning labs” where teachers design lesson plans and learn from peers. Local classrooms also receive supplementary math materials called “Numbers Corner” which help students practice their math skills daily.
The program included 40 early math specialists across 48 local districts and 888 classrooms in elementary schools.
“Because literacy is the focus right now, it’s not lost on anyone that those are the same teachers that also teach mathematics,” said Rusty Anderson, project director for Early Mathematics at MAISA. “And there’s only so much time for professional learning and things to happen to support teacher transformation of instruction.”
He and Alison Fox Resnick, research and design partner for the project, want Michigan to “build a system for teaching and learning, not simply a system for teaching and learning literacy.”
What Michigan is doing
The new state budget directs the Michigan Department of Education to create a committee to vet math curricula and provides $5 million for the effort.
MDE also plans to release the “Michigan Mathematics Framework” this fall aimed at sharing best practices for teaching, resources for parents and information about curricula. Using the tool is optional.
“Through the math framework, MDE is providing evidence‑based resources and support that all shareholders may use to help strengthen mathematics curriculum and instruction across the state,” said MDE spokesperson Ken Coleman.
Coleman said that while literacy remains the top priority, MDE will add improving math to its strategic plan, which is expected to be updated by early next year.
Kelli VanSetters, president of the Michigan Council of Teachers of Mathematics and a math consultant, cautions against just picking a curriculum.
“Selecting a new resource isn’t like the golden ticket to student outcomes,” she said.
The state’s efforts to improve literacy include requiring better curriculum choices. The new budget ties state funding to using curricula from a vetted list or notifying parents why not. Starting next school year, districts also must screen students for signs of dyslexia, and by the 2031 school year, elementary teachers will be required to undergo specific training.
Many interviewed by Bridge emphasized that there should be ways to take what teachers are learning about reading and apply some aspects of it to teaching math.
“What are the things we can support teachers to learn about across content areas?,” said Resnick, who is also an assistant research professor at the University of Colorado Boulder. “And how can we build a system that helps them make sense of all of the expectations coming down on them? Rather than just leaving that up to them and then wondering why they burn out.”
How other states are responding to math scores
Michigan is not alone.
Across the country, states are trying to crack the code for better math instruction and student achievement. Twenty two states have passed laws or new policies on math since 2022, according to an Education Week analysis.
Alabama is the only state to raise fourth grade math scores from 2019 to 2024 on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the Nation’s Report Card.
The state is working toward having one math coach for every elementary school, a move praised by Kevin Dykema, past president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
Dykema, a former middle school math teacher in Mattawan, said Maryland will require K-8 schools to spend at least 60 minutes per day on math instruction.
He said while he isn’t sure math needs all of the requirements Michigan has for literacy, “requirements are how attention is given by all of the different stakeholders.”
Mandates lead to funding, he said, and that helps school leaders prioritize this work.
Schools experience math gains
In the Early Math effort by MAISA, schools had access to math specialists for two years. It often takes years to see the impact of changes in practices and curricula. But schools have seen scores increase on assessments that are taken multiple times a year, sometimes called benchmark tests.
At North Huron Elementary School, 73% of fourth graders were proficient in fall 2024, but by spring 2026, 91% were proficient on math assessments when they left fifth grade.
Across K-5 students at North Huron, math proficiency went from 42% in fall 2024 to 64% in spring 2026.
“Math is usually kind of a love or hate topic with kids,” said teacher Haley Dhyse. “But it’s now become more of a comfortable conversation. It’s not so taboo.”
Students can better explain their reasoning, connect math concepts and have “built a better problem solving stamina.”
While student math proficiency typically drops from third through fourth grade on state tests, schools participating in the Early Math program held proficiency steady, according to an analysis from MAISA’s evaluator.
At Copper Country Intermediate School District, Angela Elmblad is proud of the gains her local schools have made but she worries about inconsistent funding. The end of the project means she’ll switch from being an early math specialist to an early literacy coach.
“We spend so much time and focus on this, and then it goes away and we lose our credibility as coaches. People stop trusting us. Like ‘you’re telling us to do this, but now you’re not going to help us anymore?’ So over time, our credibility loses its touch with teachers because we’re just seen as short-term solutions.”
What now?
Hill, the Harvard professor, recommends teachers use high quality curricula that allow students to “understand the math deeply and to do some reasoning and problem solving.”
When Hill talks to teachers, she hears that students are lacking fluency or the ability to recall math facts and do math in a time efficient manner. Practice is important, Hill said, and teachers are trying to balance how much time to give for practice.
At the Michigan Education Association, spokesperson Thomas Morgan said teachers deserve good professional development but drew parallels to the additional literary mandates.
He wants there to be enough certified teachers available to oversee classrooms when other teachers are getting trained.
“Help us get more math teachers in the classroom, and we can’t do that until we improve the conditions of our labor market for our educators,” he said.
For Hill, there’s an urgency to this too.
“It’s pretty serious if kids walk out of school and they don’t have the mathematical proficiency that they need to succeed in their job or in college.”
Editor’s note: The Michigan Education Association is a sponsor of Bridge Michigan’s Education Watch newsletter. It was not involved in the writing or editing of this article.
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