Elementary and middle school students across Montgomery County will learn math differently when classes resume this fall, as Maryland rolls out simplified state standards aimed at reversing years of declining test scores.

The changes narrow what must be taught at each grade level and give students more time to practice core concepts. High school students won't see changes yet.

The overhaul comes after only 27% of Maryland students passed state math tests in spring 2026, The Banner reported. MCPS students fared better than the state average, with 36.9% reaching proficiency on the 2025-2026 MCAP, according to Bethesda Magazine. But that still means nearly two-thirds of county students aren't meeting the bar.

"Our updated standards aren't a major overhaul, but they do provide a little more clarity and coherence from grade level to grade level," Elise Brown, assistant state superintendent for instructional programs, told The Banner.

What's actually changing

The new standards emphasize fluency and automaticity, meaning students will spend more time memorizing addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts, particularly in early and upper elementary grades. Educators say students who haven't internalized basic math facts struggle in higher-level courses.

The Common Core requirement that students explain how they arrived at an answer remains. But under the old approach, concepts were often taught once and not reinforced in later grades, leaving struggling students further behind. The new standards aim to build skills more deliberately from year to year.

Karen McKiernan, a Montgomery County fifth-grade math teacher beginning her 31st year in the classroom, told The Banner that her approach still centers on comprehension. "We are not focused on the memorization but understanding the strategy of how to answer the question," McKiernan said.

She noted that students face more distractions, with cellphones, laptops and gaming competing for attention, and that many have parents working long hours who can't provide as much support at home.

New curriculum, $29 million price tag

MCPS isn't just adopting the state standards. On April 30, the Board of Education unanimously approved Amplify Desmos Mathematics for pre-K through Integrated Algebra 2, authorizing up to $29 million over three years for materials and teacher training. Board president Grace Rivera-Oven and members Brenda Wolff, Rita Montoya, Karla Silvestre, Laura Stewart, Julie Yang, Natalie Zimmerman and student member Anuva Maloo all voted in favor.

MCPS Superintendent Thomas Taylor said in a WTOP interview that the district's focus for 2026-2027 includes "strengthening core instructional support in math and literacy."

New test coming too

Students in grades 3 through 8 will also face a new state assessment this school year. The MSTAR (Maryland System of Testing Academic Readiness) replaces the MCAP and is about 25% shorter, according to The Banner. Tim Guy, assistant state superintendent of assessment and accountability, acknowledged the old test may have been too demanding: "We probably overshot on our expectations."

Students in grades 3 through 8 will take the MSTAR for the first time in spring 2027. The Maryland State Department of Education has published grade-level family guides at marylandpublicschools.org with activities parents can use to reinforce lessons at home.