Summary: HSB 137 (renumbered as HF 784)
Overview
- Purpose: To strengthen mathematics education by establishing a state-wide plan to raise math proficiency, expand teacher professional development, and formalize screening and intervention processes for K–6 students. The bill also requires higher education programs that prepare teachers to include math-methods preparation.
- Status: Committee report approving bill; renumbered as HF 784.
- Introduction and timeline:
- Introduced: February 6, 2025
- Subcommittee: February 13, 2025 (Gehlbach, Henderson, Kurth)
- Subcommittee meeting/schedule: February 19, 2025
- Committee action: February 19–27, 2025
- Committee report approving, with amendment recommended and passage; renumbered as HF 784: March 5, 2025
Key Provisions
- Comprehensive state mathematics plan
- The director of the Department of Education (DE) must develop a state-wide plan aimed at increasing student mathematics proficiency.
- Professional development
- The DE director must provide evidence-based professional development to teachers employed by schools most in need of support for high-quality mathematics instruction.
- Mathematics screeners (K–6)
- The DE must develop and publish on its website a list of valid and reliable mathematics screeners.
- Districts must assess all students in kindergarten through grade six at least three times per school year using screeners from the DE’s list to determine math proficiency.
- Support for students at risk
- If a student is persistently at risk in mathematics (defined as not meeting the grade-level benchmark on two consecutive assessments), districts must implement a series of steps:
- Additional assessments
- Development of personalized mathematics plans
- Targeted interventions
- These steps must continue until the student achieves benchmark status on the statewide summative assessment or on another assessment, whichever occurs first.
- Persistently at risk definition
- “Persistently at risk” means the student has not met the grade-level benchmark on two consecutive assessments.
- Regulatory and programmatic duties
- The state board of education must adopt rules to administer these provisions.
- The state board must require higher education institutions offering practitioner preparation programs to include preparation in methods for teaching mathematics.
- Institutions may satisfy this requirement by means that the bill specifies for students who will be teaching mathematics (text cuts off in the provided version; the bill intends to ensure math-methods training is included).
Who would be affected
- Students: K–6 students subject to more frequent math screening and targeted interventions.
- School districts: Increased assessment responsibilities, development of personalized plans, and implementation of supports for persistently at-risk students; increased PD for staff.
- Teachers: Access to evidence-based PD and clearer guidance on math instruction techniques.
- Higher education: Practitioner preparation programs would need to incorporate mathematics methods training.
- Department of Education and State Board: Responsible for administering the program, approving screeners, and issuing implementing rules.
Notes
- The legislative text provided ends with an incomplete sentence regarding how higher education programs may satisfy the math-methods requirement. The final statutory language will be clarified in HF 784 and subsequent amendments.
- This summary reflects the bill’s provisions as reported through the committee process up to March 5, 2025.
