Ohio rated 'weak' on math elementary level policy instruction by new report
Ohio school children in a classroom. (Photo by Morgan Trau.)
Ohio is 'weak' on policies to strengthen elementary teachers' math instruction, according to a new report by the National Council on Teacher Quality.
Ohio is one of 25 states that received a 'weak' rating by the NCTQ report that was released Tuesday. Only Alabama received a strong rating and seven states earned an unacceptable rating — Arizona, Hawaii, Maine, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, and New Hampshire, according to the report.
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The states earned their ratings based on these five policies —
Set specific, detailed math standards for teacher preparation programs.
Review teacher preparation programs to ensure they are providing robust math instruction.
Adopt a strong elementary math licensure test.
Require districts to select high-quality math curricula and support skillful implementation.
Provide professional learning and ongoing support for teachers to sustain effective math instruction.
A weak rating means a state has some of those policies in place, but not all. Ohio was strong in teacher preparation programs and received a moderate ranking in having a strong elementary math licensure program, according to the report.
'Ohio's made significant investments in professional learning for teachers in reading, but much fewer investments in financially supporting professional learning in math instruction,' said NCTQ President Heather Peske.
This past school year was the first year Ohio school districts were required to teach the science of reading curriculum, which is based on decades of research that shows how the human brain learns to read and incorporates phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
Some of the Ohio's 2023 two-year budget went toward the science of reading — $86 million for educator professional development, $64 million for curriculum and instructional materials, and $18 million for literacy coaches.
'You can do two things at once,' Peske said. 'It's really important to kids that they have strong reading instruction and strong math instruction, so it's high time that Ohio focused on improving math instruction, especially at the elementary level.'
Student math scores predict future earnings better than reading scores, Peske said.
'Strong math skills add up to better reading scores, stronger college readiness, and eventually even higher earnings for students,' she said.
Ohio math scores are below pre-pandemic levels, according to the Nation's 2024 Report Card. Approximately 235,000 fourth-graders from 6,100 schools and 230,000 eighth-graders from 5,400 schools participated in the 2024 math and reading assessments between January and March of last year.
In Ohio, the average fourth-grade math score was 239, two points higher than the national average and one point higher than the state's fourth grade math scores in 2022. The scale for NAEP scores is 0-500.
The state's average eighth-grade math score was 279, seven points higher than the national average and three points higher than the state's 2022 test.
'If we want to improve student math outcomes, we really need to better prepare and support elementary teachers in their math instruction,' Peske said.
Ohio lawmakers are paying attention to student math scores. Ohio Senate Bill 19 would require school districts or individual schools to come up with a math achievement improvement plan if they don't have at least 52% of students receive a proficient score in math comprehension.
The bill has had three hearings so far in the Senate Education Committee.
Follow Capital Journal Reporter Megan Henry on Bluesky.
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