Report finds Tennessee’s policies for math instruction are better than most states, but still in need of improvement

Graphic by the National Council on Teacher Quality

A newly released study on math instruction policies by the National Council on Teacher Quality provided some encouraging news for Tennessee, along with multiple areas for improvement.

The report found Tennessee has strong math instruction policies in three key areas but weak in a fourth, and “unacceptable” in a fifth. That earned Tennessee a “moderate” rating that aligns with most southern states apart from Alabama’s “strong” rating and North Carolina’s “weak” rating. A slight majority of states nationwide received a “weak” or “unacceptable” rating.

Among the positives for Tennessee, researchers gave high marks for setting detailed math standards for teacher preparation programs, adopting a strong elementary math licensure test, and for requiring districts to select high-quality math curricula and support for skillful implementation.

The study found Tennessee has weak policies to review teacher preparation programs to ensure they’re providing strong math instruction and unacceptable policies to provide professional learning and ongoing support for teachers to sustain effective math instruction.

In making their evaluation, researchers studied 41 elementary prep programs in Tennessee to determine whether they dedicate enough time to key math concepts. The analysis found Tennessee programs perform below the national average in that area, with only 5 percent earning an A or better

“Far too many elementary teacher prep programs fail to dedicate enough instructional time to building aspiring teachers’ math knowledge—leaving teachers unprepared and students underserved. Put simply, teachers must deeply understand the math content they want students to learn and must have specialized knowledge about how to teach it (i.e., math pedagogy). This is why strong state policy related to teacher prep is so important,” wrote authors of the study.

The report provided multiple recommendations for Tennessee to improve its math instruction policies including encouraging elementary teacher preparation programs to prioritize math courses designed for educators over traditional higher-level math requirements, publishing first-time pass rate data by program on the math licensure test to determine which programs are preparing candidates well, and providing districts with funds to support math coaches and specialists.