House Bill 1030 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE)
By: Representatives Donatucci of the 105th, Erwin of the 32nd, Jones of the 47th, Dubnik of
the 29th, Hilton of the 48th, and others
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Chapter 2 Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
elementary and secondary education, so as to enact the "Math Matters Act"; to require the
State Board of Education to adopt content standards for middle and high school advanced
math courses; to require the Department of Education to provide guidance and technical
assistance to local education agencies; to require local education agencies to establish
advanced math courses; to provide for enrollment of students into and withdrawal from
advanced math courses; to require minimum core math instruction time for students in grades
four and five; to require that parents or guardians are provided information regarding
advanced math courses; to require annual reports; to prohibit waivers; to require the
Professional Standards Commission to revise standards for acquiring and maintaining teacher
certification in elementary education to include requirements regarding developmentally
appropriate evidence based math instruction; to require the Professional Standards
Commission to ensure students completing teacher certification programs have the
knowledge and skills to teach math including the four strands of mathematical proficiency;
to provide for definitions; to provide for related matters; to provide for an effective date; to
repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to elementary and
secondary education, is amended in Part 3 of Article 6, relating to educational programs
under the "Quality Basic Education Act," by adding a new Code section to read as follows:
<ins>"20-2-153.2.
(a) This Code section shall be known and may be cited as the 'Math Matters Act.'
(b) As used in this Code section, the term:
(1) 'Advanced math course' means a math course more rigorous than a course with
grade-level content.
(2) 'Evidence based math instruction' means teaching practices that are supported by
research grounded in quantitative or qualitative empirical evidence and are shown to
positively impact student math learning, to support students in achieving grade-level math
learning goals, and to improve student outcomes.
(3) 'Four strands of mathematical proficiency' means a combination of the following:
(A) Real world problem solving skills, which connects math to students' lives;
(B) Procedural fluency, which is the ability to perform math procedures with speed,
accuracy, efficiency, and flexibility;
(C) Conceptual understanding, which is knowing how and why math works; and
(D) Productive dispositions, which is seeing math as sensible, useful, and worthwhile.
(4) 'Intervention' means a specific program, activity, or set of steps used to help students
improve in an area of need that may include additional time, evidence based tutoring,
small group instruction, multitiered system of supports, or the like.
(5) 'Local education agency' shall have the same meaning as set forth in Code
Section 20-2-167.1.
(c) Beginning with the 2027-2028 school year, each local education agency shall require
at least 60 minutes daily or 300 minutes weekly of core math instructional time for students
in grades four and five.
</ins>
<ins>(d) The Department of Education shall provide guidance and technical assistance to local
education agencies in developing and implementing advanced math courses in grades six
and seven.
(e) By January 1, 2027, the State Board of Education shall adopt content standards for
advanced math courses for grades eight through ten to be designated as such for purposes
of this Code section. Such advanced math courses shall, at a minimum, include Enhanced
Algebra: Concepts and Connections.
(f)(1) Beginning with the 2027-2028 school year, each local education agency with
students enrolled in grades six through ten shall:
(A) Automatically enroll in an advanced math course each student who receives a
score of distinguished learner on the state-wide end-of-grade or end-of-course math
assessment at the end of the prior school year or demonstrates proficiency using a local
measure that considers the student's math coursework or the student's grade point
average in math;
(B) Establish a procedure for a parent or guardian to withdraw his or her child from
such automatic enrollment; and
(C) Permit a parent or guardian of a student who scores proficient on the end-of-grade
or end-of-course math assessment at the end of the prior school year to request that such
student be enrolled in such advanced math course. The local education agency shall
approve such request or require such parent or guardian to attend a placement meeting
to review such student's achievement in math and overall readiness for enrollment in
such course prior to approving such request;
(2) Each local education agency shall provide each student enrolled in an advanced math
course:
(A) Reasonable instructional support beyond core math instruction; and
(B) A system of supports for students to achieve success in the advanced math course,
which may include:
</ins>
<ins>(i) A specific high-quality instructional program; and
(ii) A set of steps used to help students improve in math, including, but not limited
to:
(I) Additional instructional time;
(II) High-dosage tutoring;
(III) Small group instruction; and
(IV) Technology enabled activities during the school day.
(3) Each local education agency shall provide information to parents or guardians of
students who score proficient or distinguished learner on the end-of-grade or
end-of-course assessment about:
(A) The purpose and goals of guaranteed access to advanced math courses;
(B) The available advanced math courses; and
(C) How each advanced math course supports preparation for postsecondary college
and career opportunities.
(4)(A) By October 1, 2028, and October 1 of each year thereafter, the Department of
Education shall provide a report to the chairpersons of the House Committee on
Education, the Senate Education and Youth Committee, the House Committee on
Appropriations, and the Senate Appropriations Committee. Such report shall include,
at a minimum:
(i) The number of students enrolled in each local education agency who received a
score of distinguished learner on the most recent state-wide end-of-grade or
end-of-course math assessment for grades five through ten;
(ii) The number and percentage of students provided for in division (i) of this
subparagraph who were:
(I) Automatically enrolled in an advanced math course; and
(II) Automatically enrolled in an advanced math course and withdrew from such
enrollment;
</ins>
<ins>(iii) The number of students who did not receive a score of distinguished learner on
the most recent state-wide end-of-grade or end-of-course math assessment but who
enrolled in an advanced math course; and
(iv) A list of advanced math courses offered by each local education agency.
(B) The student data provided pursuant to division (i) of this subparagraph shall be
disaggregated by ethnicity, race, sex, socioeconomic status, disability, and language
proficiency.
(g) This Code section shall not be subject to waivers pursuant to Code Section 20-2-82 for
a strategic waivers school system, Code Section 20-2-244 for a local board of education,
Code Section 20-2-2063.2 for a charter system, or Code Section 20-2-2065 for a charter
system or schools within a charter system, or any completion special school."
</ins> SECTION 2.
Said chapter is further amended in Part 10 of Article 17, relating to professional standards,
by revising subsections (a) and (b) of Code Section 20-2-984, relating to Professional
Standards Commission — authority to create and implement standards and procedures for
certifying educational personnel, recommending standards and procedures for certification,
continuation of teaching certificates, and restrictions, as follows:
"(a) The commission shall create and implement standards and procedures for certifying
educational personnel as qualified for a certificate to practice in the public schools of
Georgia; provided, however, that such standards and procedures shall not require an
individual to participate in or complete any training program in which divisive concepts,
as such term is defined in Code Section 20-1-11, are advocated for; provided, further, that
such standards shall include the following:
(1) Procedures for limiting the number and types of certificates to the fewest possible
consistent with providing qualified teachers for Georgia's schools;
(2) In-service training and related requirements needed to renew or maintain
certification;
(3) Multiple or alternative routes to professional teacher certification, including, but not
limited to, the alternative and nontraditional teacher certification programs provided for
in Code Section 20-2-206; provided, however, that the commission's standards and
procedures consider for in-state certification nationally accredited teacher certification
programs outside of this state which are state sponsored and meet the academic
accreditation and certification requirements of the commission; and
(4)(A) Requirements, including appropriate examinations and assessments, for
acquiring and maintaining certification pursuant to Code Section 20-2-200.
(B) Beginning July 1, <del>2025</del> <ins>2028,</ins> the Georgia Assessments for Certification of
Educators (GACE), or any other assessment required by the commission for teacher
certification, shall be aligned with developmentally appropriate evidence based literacy
instruction <ins>and evidence based math instruction.
</ins> (b) The commission shall recommend to the board of regents and private colleges and
universities standards and procedures for preparing educational personnel to qualify for
initial and renewable certification to practice in the public schools of Georgia, including
the following:
(1) Pre-service preparation;
(2) Approval of teacher education programs, both graduate and undergraduate, which
shall include, at a minimum, mandatory coursework in:
(A) Differentiated instruction, including the development and implementation of
explicit curricula to effectively support and deliver differentiated instruction to students.
As used in this subparagraph, the term 'differentiated instruction' means instruction that
demonstrates a teacher's recognition of students as individuals in terms of their abilities,
achievement, learning styles, and needs, including but not limited to at-risk students,
English language learners, students with special needs, and gifted students, and that
gives greater emphasis to individualization in teaching by making adjustments to
curricula, materials, learning activities, and assessment techniques to ensure that all
students in a mixed-ability classroom can have equal access to appropriate avenues for
processing new information and developing skills; and
(B) Instruction related to the development of fundamental reading skills, including
phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension;
(3) Approval of programs of alternative certification;
(4) The creation of innovative programs designed to increase the number of minority
teachers entering the profession, including, but not limited to, programs designed to
promote increased student enrollment in and completion of teacher education programs
offered at historically black colleges and universities in this state; <del>and
</del> (5) The creation of standards designed to ensure that postsecondary students completing
teacher certification programs in this state graduate with the knowledge and skills
necessary to teach reading; <ins>and
(6) The creation of standards designed to ensure that postsecondary students completing
elementary education teacher certification programs in this state graduate with training
and instruction that:
(A) Effectively teaches math knowledge and skills that develop the four strands of
mathematical proficiency as such term is defined in Code Section 20-2-153.2;
(B) Implements evidence based math instruction as such term is defined in Code
Section 20-2-153.2;
(C) Provides effective instruction and interventions for students who need intervention
as such term is defined in Code Section 20-2-153.2; and
(D) Understands and uses student data to make instructional decisions."
</ins> SECTION 3.
This Act shall become effective on July 1, 2026.
SECTION 4.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.