California law requires early testing of student math skills

California has adopted a new law requiring earlier testing of students’ math skills. The law addresses concerns about very low student math scores and shifts attention toward identifying skill gaps earlier in a student’s education.

The requirement creates a state policy change for schools, but the law’s effective date, the grades covered, the type of assessment required and how schools must respond to results are not stated here.

What the law changes

The central change is early testing for math skills. Testing earlier can give schools information about students’ abilities before later grade levels, but the law’s specific implementation rules are not stated here.

What comes next

Schools and state education officials will need to carry out the testing requirement under the law’s rules. The timing of that work and any related guidance are not stated here.

Lassen County News reported on the development.