A bill that would require California public schools to screen all students in kindergarten through second grade for foundational math skills and provide interventions to those who fall behind has reached the governor's desk. Senate Bill 1067, authored by Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson (D-La Mesa), passed the Senate unanimously 39-0 and is now awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom's signature or veto by the September 30 deadline, according to the Assembly Education Committee analysis and CalMatters.
The bill instructs the State Board of Education to approve criteria for evidence-based, culturally and linguistically appropriate math diagnostic assessments for K-2 students by July 31, 2027. The California Department of Education must publish an approved list of assessments by January 31, 2028. Local educational agencies then must adopt at least one assessment from the list by June 30, 2028, and begin testing all K-2 students annually starting no later than the 2028-29 school year. LEAs can also self-certify a different assessment if it meets the state criteria, per the bill text.
Interventions and safeguards
Students identified as struggling must receive evidence-based supports, which could include progress monitoring, early intervention through Multi-Tiered Systems of Support, one-on-one or small-group tutoring, and further diagnostic assessment if needed. The bill explicitly bars using assessment results for high-stakes purposes such as teacher evaluation, accountability decisions, grade promotion or retention, gifted identification, or special education identification.
Modeled after literacy screening
The structure of SB 1067 directly mirrors California's early literacy screening law, signed by Newsom in 2023. That law also requires LEAs to adopt state-approved screening instruments for reading difficulties, including dyslexia, in K-2 and to begin screening by the 2025-26 school year. The Los Angeles Times reported that the math bill adapts the same framework of state board criteria, CDE list, and LEA selection. EdSource noted that with literacy screening policies now in place, advocates are turning to early math, framing SB 1067 as the math counterpart to the reading effort.
Math performance and gaps
The Los Angeles Times reported that 63 percent of California K-12 students are not at grade level in math. Sen. Weber Pierson cited the figure as a problem the state needs to address.
Disparities are pronounced. The Public Policy Institute of California reported that only 25 percent of low-income students met the state math standard, compared to 55 percent of higher-income students. Just 18 percent of Black students and 30 percent of Latino students were proficient, versus 50 percent of white students.
What the evidence says
The bill's legislative findings assert that multiple rigorous studies, including randomized controlled trials of math interventions, show that early identification paired with targeted support produces meaningful and lasting gains, and that low third-grade math achievement strongly predicts later low achievement. The bill text does not cite any specific studies by name or author. The PPIC data documents persistent gaps that motivate early screening but do not themselves evaluate whether screening policies close them.
English learners would be screened in their primary language if a diagnostic assessment in that language is available. If none exists, the student's foundational math skills would be evaluated through a developmental and educational history analysis until a suitable assessment becomes available, according to the bill text.