California lawmakers passed a bill that would require yearly math tests for the state's youngest students. They passed it even though several large education groups asked them to wait. The California Legislature passed Senate Bill 1067 and sent it to Governor Gavin Newsom. The Assembly voted for it without a single no vote, The 74 reported. Newsom has not said whether he will sign it.
The fight is over timing. In an Aug. 12 letter, four groups said the bill was too soon. They were the California Mathematics Council, the Association of California School Administrators, the California County Superintendents, and the California Teachers Association. They argued that the state had not yet spent enough on teacher training and student help to make the testing work, The 74 reported. "A mandated assessment is only as effective as the system that supports it," they wrote. The provided sources do not show how much money the bill puts toward that support, so it is not clear whether the state has met what these groups want first.
Supporters say the problem is urgent. On California's 2025 state tests, only 37% of students were proficient in math. That compares with 49% on the language arts test, The 74 reported. The gaps were wider for some students. Only 26% of low-income students and 20% of Black students scored proficient. California's fourth graders have also scored lower than students in most other states on a national test, The 74 reported. "We also know that students who miss foundational math skills in grades K through 2 rarely catch up," said the bill's author, Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson. Marshall Tuck is the CEO of EdVoice, an advocacy group that sponsored the bill. He said, "The bill's passage is a strong recognition by the Legislature that we must focus on students early with more support."
The bill would require public schools to test the math skills of every student in kindergarten through second grade each year. This is called a math diagnostic assessment. Schools would also have to help students who fall behind. That help could include extra coaching for teachers or small-group tutoring, The 74 reported. The bill sets steps first. The State Board of Education would set the rules and guidelines by July 31, 2027. Then the Department of Education would publish a list of approved assessments. Testing would begin in the 2028-29 school year.
The math plan follows an early reading test that Newsom pushed for, which took effect in 2025. But the two are built differently, The 74 reported. The reading test looks for students who may have reading problems, including dyslexia. SB 1067 does not use the word "screener." The bill says its job is to check students' math knowledge and needs and to find those who need more help. It is not meant to diagnose a disability like dyscalculia. The 74 notes that dyscalculia is less common and harder to diagnose than dyslexia.