Mississippi Math Act; require MDE to establish to enhance early numeracy.

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To: Education;
Appropriations A
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representative McCarty

HOUSE BILL NO. 1254

AN ACT TO ESTABLISH THE MISSISSIPPI MATH ACT AND THE MOVING 1
MATHEMATICS IN MISSISSIPPI (M3) PROGRAM TO STRENGTHEN EARLY 2
NUMERACY, ALGEBRA READINESS AND MATHEMATICS INSTRUCTION STATEWIDE; 3
TO PROVIDE FOR MATHEMATICS COACHING, K–5 SCREENING, INDIVIDUALIZED 4
MATH PLANS, AN ALGEBRA READINESS INDICATOR AND ALIGNED 5
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT; TO CREATE THE MOVING MATHEMATICS IN 6
MISSISSIPPI FUND; TO PROVIDE FOR DATA PRIVACY, REPORTING, 7
RULEMAKING, IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINES AND CONTINUED APPROPRIATIONS; 8
AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 9
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 10
SECTION 1. Sections 1 through 13 of this act shall be known 11
and may be cited as the "Mississippi Math Act." 12
SECTION 2. (1) The Legislature finds that: 13
(a) Early numeracy and fluency with whole-number 14
operations, decimals and fractions are foundational to secondary 15
mathematics; 16
(b) Sustained, job-embedded mathematics coaching 17
improves teacher practice and student outcomes; 18
(c) Systematic screening and targeted interventions in 19
the elementary grades reduce later remediation; and 20
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(d) Ensuring Algebra readiness before middle school 21
coursework strengthens the state's workforce pipeline. 22
(2) It is the intent of this act to establish a statewide 23
framework, Moving Mathematics in Mississippi (M3) to: 24
(a) Expand mathematics coaching; 25
(b) Implement kindergarten through Grade 5 mathematics 26
screening with aligned interventions; 27
(c) Establish an Algebra readiness indicator using the 28
Grade 5 statewide mathematics assessment scale score; and 29
(d) Provide grade-band professional development aligned 30
to Mississippi's College- and Career-Readiness Standards and 31
assessments. 32
SECTION 3. As used in Sections 1 through 13 of this act, the 33
following terms shall have the meanings ascribed in this section, 34
unless context of use clearly requires otherwise: 35
(a) "Board" means the State Board of Education. 36
(b) "Department" means the State Department of 37
Education. 38
(c) "M3" means the Moving Mathematics in Mississippi 39
Program established in Sections 1 through 13 of this act. 40
(d) "Coach" means a mathematics instructional coach 41
employed or contracted by the department or a participating 42
district, trained in the department's coaching model. 43
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(e) "High-Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM)" means 44
standards-aligned, evidence-based mathematics curricula and 45
assessments approved by the department. 46
(f) "K–5 Mathematics Screener" means a universal 47
screening system for kindergarten through Grade 5 addressing 48
grade-appropriate mathematics domains and skill progressions, as 49
determined by the department. 50
(g) "Algebra readiness indicator" means a scale score 51
on the Grade 5 Statewide Mathematics Assessment established by the 52
Department that suggests student readiness for Algebra I and is 53
used to guide supports and placement. 54
(h) "Individualized Math Plan (IMP)" means a written 55
plan for a student identified by a screener as at-risk of not 56
meeting grade-level expectations, specifying interventions, 57
progress monitoring and exit criteria. 58
(i) "MIOP" means the Mathematics Instructional 59
Observation Protocol adopted by the department for classroom 60
observation and administrator calibration. 61
(j) "Professional learning community" means educational 62
stakeholders who meet regularly to share expertise, analyze data, 63
plan instruction, and collaborate to improve teaching capacity and 64
student performance. 65
SECTION 4. (1) There is created within the State Department 66
of Education the Moving Mathematics in Mississippi (M3) Program. 67
(2) The department, through the State Board of Education: 68
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(a) Shall administer M3; 69
(b) May promulgate rules and regulations; 70
(c) May enter into contracts; and 71
(d) May partner with institutions of higher learning, 72
school districts and nonprofit entities for implementation, 73
evaluation and professional learning. 74
(3) The department may issue guidance for district 75
participation, including model schedules, PLC structures, 76
intervention blocks, and family engagement resources. 77
SECTION 5. (1) The program shall consist of the following 78
components: 79
(a) The placement of mathematics coaches in schools 80
serving students in kindergarten through Grade 12, with priority 81
placement in Grades 2 through 6 to provide: 82
(i) On-site and virtual coaching cycles; 83
(ii) Modeling; 84
(iii) Professional Learning Communities 85
facilitation; 86
(iv) Data meetings; 87
(v) Administrator walk-throughs using MIOP; and 88
(vi) Family math resources; 89
(b) Implementation of kindergarten through Grade 5 90
screenings and intervention protocols, which require: 91
(i) Adoption or development of a kindergarten 92
through Grade 5 mathematics screener; 93
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(ii) Well-defined scores and skill maps; 94
(iii) Development and implementation of 95
Individualized Math Plans (IMPs) for students below benchmark; 96
(iv) Training for teachers and administrators; and 97
(v) Periodic progress monitoring; 98
(c) Use of the Grade 5 Statewide Mathematics Assessment 99
scale score designated by the department as the Algebra Readiness 100
Indicator, which provides for the development and implementation 101
of IMPs for students below the indicator prior to middle school 102
mathematics; and 103
(d) Ongoing regional training, virtual courses and 104
school-based professional development cycles providing lesson 105
guides, teacher-facing supports and assessment references aligned 106
to HQIM and effective mathematics teaching practices. 107
(2) Coaching shall be organized by grade band to include 108
elementary (K through Grade 6) and secondary (Grades 7 through 12) 109
and may include college- and career-readiness coaches to align 110
mathematics with workforce pathways and statewide assessments. 111
(3) The department may develop crosswalks and training to 112
support intervention pathways based on students' Grade 5 results. 113
SECTION 6. Coaching qualifications; deployment; fidelity. 114
(1) Coaches shall meet qualifications set by the department, 115
including (a) demonstrated content knowledge; (b) training in the 116
department's coaching model; and (c) experience facilitating adult 117
learning. 118
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(2) The department may employ coaches as state personnel, 119
educators-in-residence, or through personal service or 120
professional contracts, and may authorize participating districts 121
to host coaches via agreements with the department. 122
(3) The department shall establish coach playbooks, dosage 123
targets and fidelity expectations; may prioritize placements based 124
on student need, vacancies and regional access; and shall provide 125
administrator calibration using MIOP. 126
SECTION 7. (1) Beginning with the 2026–2027 school year, 127
participating districts shall administer the kindergarten through 128
Grade 5 Mathematics Screener at least three (3) times annually 129
(e.g., beginning-, middle- and end-of-year cycles) on a schedule 130
established by the department. 131
(2) For each student identified below benchmark, the school 132
district shall develop an Individualized Math Plan (IMP) 133
specifying evidence-based interventions, frequency and duration, 134
the progress-monitoring schedule and exit criteria established by 135
the department. The IMP shall be shared with the student's parent 136
or guardian within a timely manner and in parent-centered language 137
both established by the department. 138
(3) The department shall provide model IMP templates, 139
intervention menus and progress-monitoring tools, and may provide 140
additional support for students with persistent risk. 141
SECTION 8. (1) Beginning with the 2026–2027 school year, 142
the department shall designate and publish an Algebra Readiness 143
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Indicator scale score for the Grade 5 Statewide Mathematics 144
Assessment pursuant to a standard-setting process approved by the 145
State Board of Education. 146
(2) Districts shall use the Algebra Readiness Indicator to 147
inform placement, acceleration and the development of 148
Individualized Math Plans (IMPs) for students scoring below the 149
indicator prior to entry into middle school mathematics. 150
(3) The Algebra Readiness Indicator shall be used as an 151
indicator of readiness not criterion for student promotion or 152
retention; local policies shall consider multiple measures 153
consistent with Department guidance. 154
(4) The department shall recommend the indicator cut score, 155
ensure alignment to content standards, and establish validity and 156
reliability evidence. The department shall review the indicator 157
at least every three (3) years. Exit criteria for students 158
receiving interventions informed by the indicator shall be set by 159
the department and may include sustained proficiency on subsequent 160
mathematics assessments. 161
SECTION 9. (1) The department shall invite districts to 162
participate and shall prioritize high-need districts based on 163
achievement gaps, vacancies, rural access and other equity 164
factors, while ensuring regional coverage. 165
(2) The department shall require a memorandum of 166
understanding (MOU) specifying roles, data sharing consistent with 167
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federal and state law, coaching schedules and fidelity 168
expectations, including the use of HQIM. 169
SECTION 10. (1) All student-level data collected under this 170
act shall be maintained in compliance with the Family Educational 171
Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and applicable state law. 172
(2) The department may develop a public dashboard with 173
district-level results and implementation indicators. 174
Student-level data shall not be publicly released. 175
SECTION 11. (1) There is created in the State Treasury a 176
special fund to be known as the "Moving Mathematics in Mississippi 177
(M3) Fund". The fund shall consist of money appropriated by the 178
Legislature, grants, gifts and other monies as authorized by law. 179
(2) Monies in the fund shall be used by the department 180
solely for the purposes administering the provisions of Sections 1 181
through 13 of this act, including, but not limited to: 182
(a) Personnel or contracts for mathematics coaches; 183
(b) Adoption, licensing or development of the K–5 184
Mathematics Screener and technical work to set, report and 185
maintain the Grade 5 Statewide Assessment Algebra Readiness 186
Indicator and related data systems; 187
(c) Professional development content and delivery; 188
(d) Regional trainings and travel; 189
(e) Evaluation and reporting; and 190
(f) Program management and operations. 191
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ST: Mississippi Math Act; require MDE to
establish to enhance early numeracy.
SECTION 12. (1) Of the funds appropriated in Section ___ of 192
House Bill No. ____, 2026, Regular Session for Fiscal Year 2027, 193
any unexpended balances as of June 30, 2027, not otherwise 194
obligated, shall be reappropriated and authorized for expenditure 195
in Fiscal Year 2028 for the same purposes. Such funds shall not 196
lapse into the State General Fund at the end of the fiscal year.197
(2) The Department of Finance and Administration shall be 198
authorized to carry forward such funds in accordance with Section 199
27-104-25, Mississippi Code of 1972. 200
SECTION 13. (1) The department may adopt emergency and 201
permanent rules necessary to implement Sections 1 through 13 of 202
this act, including establishing cut scores, benchmarking windows, 203
intervention guidance and reporting templates. 204
(2) The department shall publish an initial implementation 205
timeline not later than beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, 206
including recruitment and placement of coaches, screener 207
procurement and training calendars, and establishment of the Grade 208
5 Statewide Mathematics Assessment Algebra Readiness Indicator 209
scale score no later than December 1, 2026. 210
SECTION 14. This act shall take effect and be in force from 211
and after July 1, 2026. 212