Struggling Alabama elementary schools will look to hire 83 math coaches, using $90,000 in state funding, this year, in a bid to improve low math proficiency rates.

Coaching positions will be added to Alabama’s 25% lowest-performing elementary schools. The funding comes from a 2022 law aimed at improving math in the early grades.

“Coaching really is a matter of looking at student data, looking at student work and focusing yourself there,” said Karen Anderson, who is leading the effort through the new Office of Mathematics Improvement. “And then the coach can work alongside the teacher to ensure that the instruction will close gaps and meet student needs and get them where they need to be.”

Montgomery has 22 schools that will be looking to hire math coaches, the most in Alabama, with Birmingham getting funding for 16 coaches. The remaining schools are located in all parts of the state, from Decatur to Huntsville to Phenix City to Mobile.

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Alabama’s students historically have among the lowest math achievement scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, called the Nation’s Report Card. The state has found itself frequently in last place, until this year, when Alabama rose to some of the highest rankings in recent years.

Under the Alabama Numeracy Act, schools now are working on a series of efforts to boost young children’s understanding of numbers, addition, subtraction, multiplication and other basics.

The law requires kindergarten through fifth grade students receive 60 minutes of math instruction daily. Every student should be screened for deficiencies in math achievement. Parents will be notified about their child’s deficiency and what teachers are doing to intervene.

Alabama State Superintendent Eric Mackey said there’s a lot left to do to get all of the pieces in place, but he’s confident deadlines will be met. “What we’re going to have to do is not just keep our foot on the gas,” Mackey said, “but keep pushing the accelerator down.”

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Eighteen regional math coaches have been hired, , Anderson said, with the final coach joining the corps this month. Those regional coaches will be housed across the state at existing training centers to be closer to the schools they’re helping.

An Elementary Mathematics Task Force has been seated, charged with vetting tests and course materials that meet the parameters in the law. They continue to meet regularly to update and revise their choices as those tools continue to change.

Beginning this summer, students who struggle in math will be offered an opportunity to voluntarily attend a summer camp. All schools are required to offer the camps, Anderson said, and guidance will be available for districts by the end of January.