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HB 934

Enact the Science of Math Act

136th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Josh Williams

Establishes math-focused intervention and improvement plans in public schools, plus a strengthened EMIS with privacy safeguards and sanctions to ensure accurate math data in accoun

Referred to committee
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Bill Summary · HB 934

Summary of HB 934 (136th General Assembly, Ohio)

Purpose and intent

  • Introduces the Science of Math Act to establish academic intervention and improvement planning specifically focused on mathematics in public schools.
  • Creates new requirements and data reporting to support math-focused intervention, improvement planning, and statewide data systems.
  • Amends several existing sections related to education data reporting, financial data, accountability, and school report cards to accommodate the new math-focused framework and enhanced data practices.

Key provisions and changes

  • Creation of new statutory sections:
    • Enacts sections 3313.6034, 3313.6035, 3302.131, 3302.132, 3319.2214, and 3319.2311.
  • Repeal and replacement:
    • Repeals 3313.6032 and replaces with revised provisions aligned to the Science of Math Act.
  • Academic intervention in mathematics:
    • Establishes math-specific intervention programs and improvement plans for public schools.
    • Sets standards for how districts identify math needs, implement interventions, and monitor progress.
  • Education Management Information System (EMIS) enhancements:
    • Requires the Department of Education and Workforce to adopt rules for a statewide EMIS that collects, compiles, and reports data, with strict confidentiality protections for student data.
    • Data elements include student participation/performance in math, instruction types, and math intervention programs;
    • Adds detailed cost accounting data by district and building using mutually exclusive cost units.
    • Introduces data verification codes to protect student privacy while enabling longitudinal data tracking.
  • Data reporting, privacy, and sanctions:
    • Schools must report extensive student and staff data to EMIS; data matching to personally identifiable information is restricted.
    • The Department may sanction districts for incomplete or inaccurate reporting, including withholding up to 10%–40% of state funds in escalating steps, audits, site visits, and potential license actions for district personnel.
    • Provisions for hearings and appeals related to sanctions; cost recovery for audits if a district is found not to have acted in good faith.
  • District and school profiles and report cards:
    • Department must annually compile district and school profiles and publish statewide and building-level reports.
    • Profiles include a wide array of metrics: student achievement, graduation rates, attendance, enrollments, demographics, teacher staffing, and math-specific indicators.
    • Report cards will continue to use a multi-component rating system (with potential new components and weighting) and will include non-rated data measures such as AP/IB participation, dual enrollment credits, industry credentials, and postsecondary readiness.
  • Math-focused components and readiness:
    • Emphasizes measures related to math curricula, math intervention programs, and math achievement as part of the broader accountability framework.
    • Data elements to monitor progress in mathematics are integrated into the EMIS and report-card structures.

Who is affected

  • Public school districts, community schools (charter-like), educational service centers, and other educational entities subject to EMIS reporting and state accountability.
  • District and school leaders responsible for math interventions, data collection, and reporting accuracy.
  • Department of Education and Workforce (ODE) which would implement EMIS rules, data verification codes, sanctions, and report-card methodologies.
  • Students, whose de-identified data will be used for statewide analyses of math interventions and readiness; data privacy protections are emphasized.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Rules and implementation:
    • The Department would adopt comprehensive EMIS rules under Chapter 119, with timelines for data collection, reporting, verification, and sanctions.
    • The plan for a data-verification and EMIS framework would be designed to align with federal and state reporting requirements.
  • Sanctions process:
    • A tiered sanctions process would be triggered for incomplete or inaccurate reporting, including notice, corrective action plans, withholdings of state funds, and possible audits or investigations.
  • Report cards and rulemaking:
    • The bill lays out timelines for developing and adopting rules to implement the reporting and rating framework, including public presentations to legislative committees.
    • Rules for the overall and component-based district and building ratings would be finalized through a formal rulemaking process, with opportunities for legislative and public input.

Notable details

  • Emphasis on protecting student privacy within EMIS, including restrictions on reporting names, addresses, and social security numbers except as necessary for data verification codes and authorized purposes.
  • Data systems must be designed to allow comparison across districts/buildings and to reflect longitudinal performance and growth in mathematics as part of the broader accountability system.
  • The act contemplates postsecondary readiness measures tied to math achievement and math-related credentials, though many details would be defined in the implementing rules.

Bottom line

HB 934 seeks to modernize and strengthen mathematics intervention and improvement in Ohio public schools by:
- Establishing the Science of Math Act with math-focused intervention plans.
- Overhauling EMIS data collection, reporting, and cost accounting with strong privacy protections.
- Introducing sanctions to ensure timely, accurate data reporting.
- Expanding the school accountability framework to incorporate math-specific indicators and readiness measures within the state report cards.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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