Can Indiana's reading improvements be repeated with math?

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Indiana’s reading crisis captured the attention of state education leaders and lawmakers, leading to an overhaul in how children learn to read. 

Now, the state could soon begin pursuing new interventions for another historically troubled subject – math. 

Less than 41 percent of elementary and middle school students passed the mathematics portion of the state’s 2024 ILEARN exam.

Republican-proposed House Bill 1634 would deliver swift interventions to K-8 students who are struggling with foundational math skills. 

The bill’s author Rep. Jake Teshka (R-North Liberty) said he wants to boost math scores with similar focused attention that led to improvements in reading.

“We’re still at risk of falling behind here,” Teshka said.

The bill would require schools to provide structured math support focused on foundational skills and real-world problem solving. Schools would provide support for individualized needs of each student. 

Democrat Representative Tonya Pfaff, who is a math teacher in Terre Haute, said it’s time that the state focused on math.

“I do believe that our scores will continue to improve, because the better a kid can read the better they can do math,” Pfaff told the House Education committee this week. 

State tests would be required for younger students to see if they need help sooner. 

“This early intervention – the K through two – catching the readers and the poor math skills, I think your approach is fantastic,” Pfaff said. 

The Nation's Report Card data released this week revealed that students gained back some of the math skills lost during the Covid-19 pandemic. But many students remain behind. 

Indiana’s math scores were mostly stagnant although above the national average while reading scores rose compared to the nation. 

Roughly reflecting the NAEP scores, students were losing some ground in math, according to ILEARN data.

Education Secretary Katie Jenner said the bill pulls from what worked with embracing the science of reading and provides “the opportunity to not only move with urgency but also learn throughout the process."
The science of reading is a collection of evidenced-based practices that provide educators with the skills needed to identify sounds and letter correspondence based on the way human brains process language.

The bill tasks the education department with revising math curriculum guidelines for teacher preparation programs and reviewing how the programs prepare future educators on elementary level math instruction.

Jenner said her department will work with philanthropic organizations to fund professional development on math for teachers. At least $111 million from philanthropic and state funds were used to address reading. 

“We know that that matters to our current and future teachers,” Jenner said.

Last year, reading competency among Indiana's third graders slightly improved from last 2023, but the overall performance remains close to the lowest level in the past decade.

Statewide, 82.5 percent of nearly 82,000 third graders at public and private schools passed the 2024 Indiana Reading Evaluation and Determination – or IREAD-3. About 14,300 students did not pass. This is an improvement of 0.6 percentage points over 2023 results.

Additionally, the bill automatically enrolls middle school students that are at or above proficiency in math to advanced courses. 

“We do believe that these few things combined will really help us move the needle,” Teshka said. “It will help us close that gap.”

Rachel Fradette is the WFYI Statehouse education reporter. Contact Rachel at rfradette@wfyi.org.