Mathematics

Mathematics is foundational for student success, providing students with both the critical thinking skills to engage with and understand scientific STEM concepts and with the mathematical knowledge needed to solve complex, cross-disciplinary problems. Ensuring students have the opportunity to build strong mathematical foundations is crucial when considering broader STEM achievement. Mathematics is not just an academic subject; it is a vital life skill that directly impacts career opportunities, predicts economic success, and equips us with the powerful ability to navigate the world quantitatively (Werner et al., 2024; Hein et al., 2013). More broadly, mathematics is essential to STEM disciplines and serves as the fundamental language and toolkit that enables STEM literacy and achievement (Maass et al., 2019).

Mathematics Mission Statement

The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) envisions a future where every student thrives through evidence-based, high-quality mathematics instruction supported by an integrated system of teaching and assessment. By providing clear, research-driven guidance and resources aligned to the Indiana Academic Standards, IDOE empowers educators to foster deep understanding, critical thinking, and lasting student growth. This work supports schools, families, and communities in ensuring every student has access to rigorous and meaningful math learning.

IDOE collaborates with national partners, statewide educators, and key stakeholders to promote effective instructional practices and data‑informed improvement. Through professional learning and resources, IDOE equips educators to develop students’ problem‑solving and innovative thinking skills. Ongoing communication and regular standards review help maintain a math education system that is strong, forward‑thinking, and responsive to the needs of Indiana’s schools and communities.

Evidence-Based, High-Quality Mathematics Instruction

Evidence-based, high-quality mathematics instruction uses research-proven strategies to teach math concepts. This approach often employs a Concrete-Representational-Abstract (CRA) sequence to build deeper, lasting understanding, along with schema-based instruction, metacognitive strategies, visual representations, and educator-guided modeling.²

Grounded in a robust body of research, evidence-based mathematics instruction reflects multiple fields of expertise, diverse forms of evidence, and a comprehensive vision of what it means to learn and do mathematics.¹ Rather than relying on a single pedagogical approach or a narrow definition of “scientific” evidence, it draws from well-established research across mathematics education, cognitive science, developmental psychology, and related disciplines to support the full range of mathematical learning goals.³

This approach prioritizes the development of conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, mathematical reasoning, and problem-solving capacity, while also fostering positive mathematical identities and the ability to use mathematics purposefully in everyday life.¹ Evidence-based instruction is further characterized by the eight Effective Mathematics Teaching Practices outlined in NCTM’s Principles to Actions, which include:

• Establishing mathematical goals to focus learning
• Implementing tasks that promote reasoning and problem-solving
• Using and connecting mathematical representations
• Facilitating meaningful mathematics discourse
• Posing purposeful questions
• Building procedural fluency from conceptual understanding
• Supporting productive struggle in learning mathematics
• Eliciting and using evidence of student thinking⁴

Importantly, evidence-based mathematics instruction recognizes that students have multiple developmental trajectories, competencies, and knowledge bases. It therefore requires a balanced, flexible approach that incorporates multiple evidence-based practices appropriate for different students in different situations—rather than a one-size-fits-all solution.^1,3

Theory of Action

IDOE has intentionally incorporated a common theory of action across systems (i.e., ILEARN Through Year Assessment, Tiered Systems of Support). Strong mathematics instruction begins with high-quality, research-based core instruction that provides strong learning opportunities for all students.

Continuous progress monitoring through various formative and summative assessments, including the ILEARN Math Checkpoints, provides data to pinpoint student learning along standards-based learning progressions. Students who are identified as needing additional support in accessing grade-level content receive targeted, differentiated, high-quality small group instruction. This instruction is fluid and flexible as educators provide opportunities for students to interact, show progress, and demonstrate understanding with rigorous grade-level content.

Frequent progress monitoring and adjustments to instruction based on student progress allow students to move in and out of tiered instruction as needed. As this cycle of instruction, assessment, targeted instruction, and continued assessment continues throughout the year, students move toward mastery of grade-level standards, demonstrating proficiency on the ILEARN Summative Assessment in the spring.

Mathematics General Resources

• Advancing K-12 Indiana Mathematics for Indiana Students Initiatives summarizes educator, student, and family support due to 2025 legislation, upcoming updates to instructional and assessment frameworks, and future additional supports for educators and families.
• The 2023 Indiana Academic Standards for Mathematics outline the prioritized, legally required learning expectations and highlight essential grade‑level content to ensure all students develop the knowledge and skills needed for future employment, enrollment, or enlistment.
• The Mathematics Instructional Frameworks collection contains the 2023 Math Frameworks for the Indiana Academic Standards. The frameworks also linked on IDOE’s website are intended to guide best practices in instruction and translate standards into learning opportunities for students through the breakdown of evidence and clarification statements, academic vocabulary, common misconceptions, prior knowledge skills, instructional resources, universal supports for all learners, and a skill-based breakdown of the Performance Level Descriptors (PLDs).
• The Indiana Assessment Framework for Mathematics provides a cohesive place for all instructional resources related to assessment, including Test Blueprints, Item Specifications, Performance Level Descriptors (PLDs), and example items for all assessments. For further information on how to use the PLDs, please reference the Guide to the 2023 ILEARN Performance Level Descriptors.
• The Five Strands of Mathematical Proficiency (The National Research Council) are the essential skills that allow students to engage with, explore, and apply mathematical concepts in a meaningful way.
• IDOE’s High-Quality Curricular Materials Advisory Lists supports schools in identifying high-quality curriculum for the teaching of Mathematics that is aligned with the 2023 Indiana Academic Standards (IAS) for Mathematics and has satisfied all required criteria as outlined in the evaluation rubrics.
• Effective Teaching Practices for Mathematics (coming soon!)

Mathematics in Public Policy

During the 2025 legislative session, Indiana led the nation in a comprehensive math policy that aimed to create the optimal conditions for all students to thrive mathematically. House Bill 1634 included the following evidence-based policies that consistently show a direct positive impact on student outcomes:

• K-2 Universal Mathematics Screener (IC 20-32-6.5-2): Requires math screening for all students in kindergarten through grade 2. If a student is at risk of not achieving grade-level proficiency, teachers shall provide targeted, differentiated, and evidence-based intervention until the student no longer has a need. Information and evidence-based resources will also be provided to parents and caregivers to support students at home.
• Tiered System of Supports (IC 20-32-6.5-3): Requires any student in kindergarten through grade eight who is at risk of not achieving grade-level proficiency in mathematics to receive a multi-tiered system of support. This support shall be through Tier II and/or Tier III supports that are aligned and supplemental to Tier I instruction.
• Middle School Advanced Math Auto-Enrollment (IC 20-30-18-3): Requires all public and charter middle schools to automatically enroll any middle school student who achieves “above proficiency” on the ILEARN Mathematics assessment and who earns a grade of “C” or higher in their mathematics coursework in an advanced math course for the subsequent school year.
• Educator Preparation Programs (IC 20-28-3-3.2): Requires the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) to develop guidelines for accredited teacher preparation programs regarding the use of curriculum or content that prepares elementary school teacher candidates to effectively teach foundational mathematics skills aligned with evidence-based instructional strategies. These instructional strategies shall promote conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and real-world problem solving. Guidelines will also be developed by IDOE for Educator Preparation Programs regarding the use of curriculum or content that prepares elementary school teacher candidates to implement math instruction using high-quality instructional material and understand and use student data to make instructional decisions.

Other legislative updates include:

• New High School Diploma Requirements (20-19-2-21): The Indiana State Board, in consultation with IDOE, established new high school diploma requirements effective for all students beginning with the class of 2029. The new Indiana diploma establishes designations (seals) that indicate a student is adequately prepared for direct entry into the workforce upon graduation, postsecondary education aligned to the student’s chosen career path, and/or enlistment into the military.  https://www.in.gov/doe/diplomas/
• High Quality Curricular Materials (20-20-5.5-2): IDOE will evaluate, approve, and publish a list of high-quality curricular materials no later than July 1, 2027, and each July 1 thereafter. Click here to access the High-Quality Curricular Materials list of vendors and the associated rubric for mathematics.
• Postsecondary Ready Investigative Mathematics Experience (HB 1001): Each fiscal year, STEM program alignment funds are allocated for IDOE to partner with the commission for higher education to provide professional development and technical assistance to schools that pilot the Postsecondary Ready Investigative Mathematics Experience (PRIME) course for students transitioning from secondary to postsecondary education.