26-02-2025
Upcoming math policy for Maryland students gets mixed reviews as ‘one-size-fits-all approach'
With students' math proficiency rates remaining stubbornly low, the Maryland State Board of Education has revealed its plan to streamline math education.
Presented during the board's all-day meeting in Baltimore on Tuesday, the proposal would standardize math instruction at the elementary level to ensure all students are meeting minimum grade-level standards. In high schools, the policy would restructure geometry concepts across Algebra 1 and 2 courses to create an 'integrated algebra pathway' — signaling a shift away from the traditional course order of Algebra 1, geometry and then Algebra 2.
The policy would also provide professional development and new teaching resources for educators while establishing accountability systems to track student progress and share that data with parents and communities.
Scheduled for full implementation during the 2028-29 school year, the plan would be rolled out gradually in the coming years, beginning with the finalization of new math standards next school year. The 2026-27 and 2027-28 school years would see an emphasis on teacher training and partial implementation of integrated algebra coursework, respectively.
The proposal will receive final consideration at the board's March 13 meeting, according to President Joshua Michael.
Some educators spoke favorably of the plan during a public comment session at Tuesday's meeting, commending its potential to ensure low-performing students do not continue to fall behind.
Ellie Mitchell, director of the Maryland Out of School Time Network youth development organization, praised the idea of a minimum math standard and applauded the plan's desire to see 'students' identities' built around the subject.
'One of the things I was particularly excited about … was the importance of building students' identities around math,' Mitchell said.
Paul Lemle, president of the Maryland State Education Association union, called the plan a 'thoughtful first step to course correction' in an environment where most students are not solving math problems at grade level. However, he expressed opposition to the idea of 'exclusionary tracking' at the elementary level, arguing students who need the most attention could be overlooked.
'While heterogenous grouping has its benefits, making it a mandatory, one-size-fits-all approach risks overlooking students who need targeted instruction,' Lemle said.
A Howard County teacher who previously taught in Baltimore City, Ryan Powers, worried standardizing math standards could also neglect high-performing students.
'The quiet, capable students, the smartest or even those needing to be challenged more were instead given extra worksheets a lot of the time,' Powers said of his time teaching in the city.
Manhar Dalal, a math teacher and coach at Baltimore's Western High School, opposed the plan to consolidate geometry instruction into Algebra 1 and Algebra 2 courses. Geometry should instead be grouped with trigonometry in precalculus courses because these kinds of math are more naturally related, Dalal suggested.
'The idea that we can just take geometry and somehow magically inject it into those, I think is going to be very difficult,' Dalal said, noting that Algebra 1 and 2 courses already struggle to cover all necessary concepts in the allotted time.
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