Having excellent skills in math is an advantage in a world increasingly driven by technological change. It’s a key to opening doors to high-paying careers and opportunities.
Research by the Urban Institute shows that students equipped with advanced math skills earn higher wages throughout their lives. With jobs in data science, cybersecurity, software development and AI growing fast, math has never been more important.
The problem? The US is falling behind the rest of the world. According to the latest National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP) students are still underperforming their achievement levels from 2019, with lower-achieving students falling further behind. Fortunately, educational leaders aren’t sitting on the sidelines. Across the country, leaders are answering the call and working to improve math achievement and growth to ensure students are well-prepared for postsecondary opportunities and the workforce.
A nationwide push to improve math education
The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) released a report outlining how states can boost math achievement. The key? Better policies, teacher training and data-driven interventions. Some states are even using predictive analytics to ensure students are placed in the right math courses instead of being unintentionally tracked into lower-level courses.
To build a strong math foundation, state leaders need reliable tools to monitor progress, identify gaps and guide decision making. That’s where data analytics comes in.
How SAS is helping drive math success
SAS partners with state education systems and local school districts to provide insights that help improve student learning. For example, SAS Education Visualization and Analytics Solution (EVAAS) for K-12 can help educators address lagging math achievement through the power of data and analytics. SAS EVAAS helps educators track student progress, identify areas for improvement, and measure the impact of interventions.
With EVAAS, educators get:
- Detailed and comprehensive student performance data to understand each student’s learning journey and pinpoint where support is needed.
- Student growth projections to help educators be proactive before students fall behind.
- Diagnostic reports to better inform daily math instruction and student interventions.
- Customizable student reports tracking the effectiveness of tutoring programs, instructional practices and math camps.
- Information to guide educator professional development in mathematics.
The bottom line
Math matters. In a post-pandemic world where learning loss is still a major challenge, education leaders need smart, data-driven solutions to help students succeed. By using analytics, schools can ensure students get the support they need to thrive in math, setting them up for success in college, careers and beyond.
