Newly released national test scores show student achievement in math rising at the elementary school level—but not among middle school students, whose achievement has stagnated after years of steady decline.
What factors could be behind older students’ academic struggles in math?
A recent EdWeek Research Center nationally representative survey of educators offers some answers. The survey—conducted of 729 teachers and administrators in January through March—found that 44% said their students in middle school face severe or very severe challenges in math. That’s a higher portion than those who identified serious struggles at the high school, early elementary, or upper elementary levels, respectively.
The survey specifically asked middle and high school teachers and administrators if most of their students are struggling to make progress academically because they haven’t acquired skills in different areas.
The top areas of weakness identified in the survey: fractions, pre-algebraic skills, and fluency in basic operations.
The teachers and administrators surveyed had a bit more confidence in students’ skills with some other topics, such as basic geometry and graphing.
When asked about the most significant overall challenges their districts face in middle school math, the largest portion of educators pointed to a basic problem: Students aren’t showing up for class.
Lack of student engagement, and math anxiety—a longstanding concern of educators—also ranked high.
Far fewer respondents blamed a lack of grounding at the elementary level, or worries that the math was not preparing students for careers.
The research was published in EdWeek’s recent special report on strategies to support older students in math. Read the full report here.
Data analysis for this article was provided by the EdWeek Research Center. Learn more about the center’s work.
