Why 45% of 12th-graders are 'below basic' in math

Forty-five percent of 12th-graders are "below basic" in math, according to the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP). "Bell Ringer" Holly Korbey is not surprised.

Schools can't find enough qualified math teachers, she writes. "Math training for future teachers is often lacking in basic content knowledge and teaching skills."

In addition, fewer students are getting daily homework, and even fewer are doing it, she writes. In 2000, 20 percent of eighth-grade students did 45 minutes or more on math homework daily. Now only 4 percent do that much. In 2000, 2 percent had no math homework at all. Now 22 percent have no math work and another 49 percent have no more than 15 minutes a day. For those of you without a calculator, that adds up to 71 percent who are not getting much practice time.

"Schools have fewer math specialists to support students, fewer assessments to screen for potential problems and fewer interventions for struggling math students than they do for reading," writes Korbey. Most students who need math tutoring don't get it.

Research on the most effective ways to teach math is ignored, she adds. "Key pieces of research on how our minds learn — the role background knowledge plays in learning something new, understanding working memory and cognitive overload, or how using the instructional hierarchy can get students to mastery in math — are still considered fringe ideas in American schools."

The Center on Reinventing Public Education’s latest State of the American Student report also highlights the shortage of well-trained math teachers and confusing guidance on explicit, direct instruction vs. student-centered learning for widening achievement gaps, writes Jo Napolitano on The 74.

"Students need both conceptual understanding and procedural fluency," the CRPE report advised. Teachers need guidance on how to combine direct instruction, which includes practice to make facts automatic, with discussion to deepen students' understanding. Often, teachers are left "adrift."

In addition, CRPE found, "many states’ test scores are inflated," hiding problems.

Alabama is showing it's possible to improve, the report said. The state has focused on aligning lessons with state standards and using evidence-based practices and high-quality instruction materials, said Karen Anderson, a state education official. Testing is used to keep students from falling behind. We "want to make sure we know what students know — and what they don’t know. And, when we see students who need help, we provide assistance immediately,” she said.