Every kindergartner through second-grader in Camarillo and Moorpark will undergo annual math assessments under a new state law signed Monday, Sept. 28, by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Senate Bill 1067 requires all California school districts to assess early-elementary students' math knowledge each year, beginning in the 2028-29 school year. Districts must also provide additional support for students who are falling behind, which may include group tutoring and coaching for teachers.
The law will apply to Pleasant Valley School District's roughly 5,835 students across 12 Camarillo schools and Moorpark Unified School District's approximately 5,605 students across 10 schools.
Why the mandate
Statewide math scores drove the push. Only 37% of California students were proficient in math on the state's 2025 tests, EdSource reported. Among low-income students, 26% were proficient. Among Black students, 20% were.
"This is a fundamental shift in how our state supports young students struggling in math," said Marshall Tuck, CEO of EdVoice, the nonprofit that sponsored the bill.
Moorpark Unified outpaces those averages. On the 2024-25 state tests, 45% of Moorpark Unified students met or exceeded math standards, compared with 35% countywide and 37% statewide, according to district data. The district already employs a math coordinator and has added three support staff at each elementary school as part of its post-pandemic recovery effort.
No comparable Pleasant Valley math proficiency figure was available from public sources.
What changes and when
The State Board of Education must set assessment criteria by July 31, 2027. The California Department of Education must publish a list of approved assessments by Jan. 31, 2028. Districts would then choose from that list for the 2028-29 school year.
Districts that already use an assessment aligned with the California Math Framework can certify their own tool rather than adopt a new one. Moorpark Unified already uses Interim Assessment Blocks (IABs) in math, developed with teacher input, along with a Response to Intervention model to identify students who need help.
The law bars the assessments from being used to evaluate teachers, rate schools or identify students as gifted or having a disability. Results must be available in multiple languages. Parents would receive an explanation of findings and the support their child would get. Results would not be reported to the state.
Funding and opposition
The Legislature appropriated $100 million to build a network of math trainers across all 58 California counties. EdVoice CEO Tuck said districts could also tap their share of $737 million from the Learning Recovery Emergency Block Grant and an unrestricted $5 billion block grant of $937 per student.
Not everyone supports the mandate. The Association of California School Administrators, the California Mathematics Council and the California Teachers Association argued in an Aug. 12 letter that requiring assessments before the state has adequately invested in teacher training and student support would be premature.
Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson, D-San Diego, authored the bill. The law follows three years after Newsom pushed for an early literacy screener, which took effect in 2025. Alabama adopted an early math assessment in 2022 and was the only state where math scores exceeded pre-pandemic levels on the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress, according to EdSource.
Neither Pleasant Valley nor Moorpark Unified has publicly announced implementation plans. The State Board of Education's assessment criteria are due by July 31, 2027.
