Numeracy Acts: A State Guide to Math Screening, Intervention, and Reform

Math is having its "science of reading" moment. After a decade of state legislatures overhauling literacy instruction — screeners, phonics mandates, coaching, intervention — lawmakers are now pointing that same machinery at math. The shorthand for this wave of legislation is the numeracy act. If your state hasn't passed one yet, there's a good chance it's drafting one right now, and it's important for schools to get ahead of it, rather than scrambling to comply after the fact.

What Numeracy Acts Require for Math Screening and Intervention

Numeracy acts vary by state, but most are built from the same core components:

• Universal K-2 or K-5 math screening, administered 2-3 times a year to identify students at risk of falling behind
• Individualized or targeted intervention plans for students who screen below benchmark
• Math coaching: Dedicated instructional coaches placed in elementary schools, often funded by the state
• High-quality instructional materials (HQIM) requirements, sometimes with an approved-curriculum list
• Teacher preparation and licensure changes, including new coursework requirements for elementary certification
• Protected instructional minutes, such as a mandated 60 minutes of daily math instruction
• Parent notification when a student is identified as behind
• Algebra-readiness indicators, usually tied to a 5th- or 6th-grade benchmark score that informs middle school math placement

The laws differ in how prescriptive they are. Some states hand districts a framework and let local leaders build their own implementation plan. Others — Alabama and Mississippi among them — specify screener cadence, coaching dosage, and reporting requirements down to the school level.

Why NAEP Math Scores Are Driving Numeracy Reform

2024 NAEP results released in January 2025, show math recovery remains uneven:

• 4th-grade math improved slightly, rising 2 points from 2022, but remained 3 points below 2019 levels.
• 8th-grade math was unchanged after an 8-point decline in 2022, and no state exceeded its 2019 score.
• Only 39% of 4th graders reached NAEP Proficient, while 24% scored below NAEP Basic.
• Most gains were concentrated among higher-performing students, leaving struggling learners further behind.

Alabama was the lone state to significantly beat its 2019 4th grade score, a result tied to its 2022 Numeracy Act.

The latest NAEP Long-Term Trend data from 2025 reinforce the same pattern. Nine-year-olds gained 4 points in math, with the strongest improvement among the lowest-performing students. Thirteen-year-old performance, however, remained flat or slightly lower and continued to trail 2020 levels.

Alabama's result is the reason "numeracy act" became a defined policy category, and why so many other states are now writing their own versions.

Numeracy Acts by State

The numeracy reform map is moving quickly. As of mid-2026:

• Alabama — The original Numeracy Act (2022) created an Office of Mathematics Improvement, mandated K-5 screening and intervention, and placed one to two math coaches in every K-5 school. 

• Mississippi — SB 2294 / the Mississippi Math Act establishes "Moving Mathematics in Mississippi" (M3): K-5 screening three times a year, statewide coaching for grades 2-6, a Grade 5 Algebra-Readiness Indicator, and annual reporting requirements.
• New Mexico — SB 29 raises math coursework requirements for teacher licensure, mandates district mathematics professional-learning plans, and requires screeners and support systems.
• Maryland — A new PreK-12 mathematics policy adopted by the state board includes a Numeracy Development Framework and requires 60 minutes of daily math instruction in grades K-8 starting in 2027-28.
• Georgia — The Math Matters Act (HB 1030) guarantees access to advanced math in middle and high school, mandates 60 minutes of daily instruction in grades 4-5, and strengthens educator prep programs.
• Kentucky — HB 190 (2025) requires accelerated learning plans for grades 4-12 and automatic enrollment in advanced math for top-performing students unless a parent or principal opts out.
• Texas — A 2025 law mandates professional development for K-3 teachers, coaches, and interventionists, delivered through new Texas Mathematics Academies piloting in 2026-27.
• Louisiana — A 2023 law requires a 50-hour math course for all 4th-8th grade teachers.
• California — SB 1067 would require approved K-2 math screeners statewide starting in 2028-29, mirroring the state's earlier reading-screener mandate.
• Illinois and New York — Taking a lighter-touch approach, issuing statewide math guidance and frameworks (Illinois's Comprehensive Numeracy Plan, New York's Numeracy Initiative) rather than hard mandates.
• Since 2022, at least nine additional states — Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Montana, North Dakota, and West Virginia — have passed legislation requiring or recommending early math screening and intervention.

How District and School Leaders Can Meet Numeracy Requirements

1) Get ahead of the screener decision. 

Whether or not your state has a numeracy act yet, districts are increasingly expected to identify math struggles as early as kindergarten. Waiting for a state mandate to pick a screener means implementing it under a compressed timeline; districts that pilot early have more say in which tool they use.

“Screening three times a year is dictated by the Numeracy Act, but the question is: What do you do with that information? How does it inform improvement planning, and what are you going to do with those numbers?” —Dr. Ed Smith, Auburn City Schools

2) Coaching models that work.

States that fund coaches without specifying dosage, playbooks, or fidelity expectations tend to see uneven results. Leaders should push for (or build internally) clear expectations for what a coaching cycle looks like.

3) HQIM alignment matters more than it used to.

If your state is building an approved-materials list or curriculum framework, a mismatch between your current core program and the new standards will surface fast. Plan a materials review now rather than after an indicator or audit flags it.

4) Pair HQIM with the supports students need to access grade-level math. 

HQIM provide an important foundation for coherent, standards-aligned instruction, but core materials alone cannot address the range of readiness levels in today’s classrooms. Districts should plan for targeted skill development, progress monitoring, and intervention that work alongside the core curriculum to help students close foundational numeracy skill gaps while continuing to engage with grade-level content.

“Adopting a consistent platform with fidelity across all our schools was powerful. If you can do that with a common vocabulary, common tools, common expectations, and benchmarks along the way, really significant things can happen.” —Dr. Ed Smith, Auburn City Schools

5) Algebra-readiness indicators change middle school placement conversations.

Districts using a 5th-grade benchmark to inform 6th-grade math placement need a communication plan for parents well before the first cohort is affected.

6) Protected instructional minutes require master-schedule triage.

A 60-minutes-daily mandate sounds simple until it collides with intervention blocks, specials, and lunch schedules. Planning for master-schedule impact helps avoid conflicts.

7) Lower-performing students need explicit attention.

The national NAEP pattern — modest gains overall, driven almost entirely by students who were already doing fine — is the exact failure mode numeracy acts are designed to prevent. Any local implementation plan should be evaluated against whether it's reaching the students at the bottom of the distribution, not just moving the average.

“Even for students who are three or more years behind, we’re seeing them develop basic math concepts and understand numeracy in ways they didn’t before. But because they're excited about trying and sometimes it's just the encouragement of having the student try and the Exact Path learning paths let them have that opportunity and keep them engaged” —Dr. Rachel Poovey, Trussville City Schools

Prioritize Turning Numeracy Reform into Practical Math Support

Strengthening math outcomes takes more than a plan. Districts need a strong, standards-aligned core complemented by clear data, targeted instruction, flexible intervention, and the capacity to give students the right support at the right time. 

“We’ve seen growth in every school and at every level [with Exact Path].” —Dr. Rachel Poovey, Trussville City Schools 

Edmentum helps schools accelerate student achievement and maximize the impact of their HQIM by connecting core instruction with the supplemental supports students and teachers need. Schools can move from identifying math needs to addressing them through NCII-rated screening, ESSA Tier 2 proven personalized learning, grade-level proficiency support, progress monitoring, and ESSA Tier 1 proven live, high-impact tutoring.

Help students build foundational numeracy skills and math fluency with Exact Path.