Systemic Math Struggles in Urban Schools

Urban schools across the United States are facing a hidden crisis—one that impacts the futures of countless students: systemic struggles in math performance. By the time students reach middle school, what may appear as low proficiency in math is, in fact, a much deeper issue. These students often have gaps in their math knowledge that stretch back several years. When students are performing significantly below grade level, these gaps become nearly impossible to address in a traditional large-group instructional setting. The result? Students fall further and further behind as they progress through school, leaving them ill-prepared for high school and beyond.

The root of this problem lies in systemic issues that have persisted for years. Urban schools often rely on large-group instruction, in which teachers are tasked with covering a rigorous pacing guide and core curriculum that focuses solely on grade-level content. There is little to no room for reviewing past material or addressing individual learning gaps. This intense focus on keeping up with the curriculum leaves many students struggling to understand new concepts because they lack the foundational skills needed to attain full mastery of them. As students move from one grade to the next, their gaps in math continue to grow and diversify. With each gap, it becomes harder for students to keep up with the grade-level lesson of the day.  This ultimately leads to a breaking point around the sixth grade, and the student may enter a cycle of failure that is difficult to break. 

In the quest to improve math outcomes, many school and district administrators are drawn to personalized learning programs offered by large ed-tech companies, attracted by sophisticated marketing and the promise of innovative solutions. However, a significant number of these programs rely on poor assessments—often summative tests, screeners, or benchmark exams—to drive their instructional decisions. These types of assessments are designed for accountability, not for diagnosing and addressing deep-seated learning gaps. This is the problem with most ed-tech companies overselling their tools, and it can have dire consequences.

For students who are years behind in math, these programs fall short. They fail to provide the nuanced, actionable insights required to accelerate learning and close significant gaps. Students who are struggling often find themselves stuck in a cycle in which the tools designed to help them do not meet their needs.

School leaders must recognize that just because an assessment tool is labeled “diagnostic” doesn’t mean it effectively identifies the root causes of a student’s struggles. Lessons from Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) and special education have shown that effective intervention requires genuine diagnostic assessments, ongoing progress monitoring, and a commitment to discontinuing programs that fail to deliver results. If a program isn’t working, it’s time to stop using it and find one that does.

Despite these challenges, solutions do exist—solutions that have precision diagnostics at their core. Precision diagnostics involve assessments that identify specific skill and concept gaps as well as each student’s current level of academic performance. This approach, commonly used in special education, allows educators to pinpoint exactly where a student is struggling and target those areas with personalized instruction.

One promising solution is Let’s Go Learn’s precision diagnostics, which drive its online instructional program, LGL Edge. The program uses detailed assessments to identify and fill the exact skill and concept gaps that prevent students from succeeding in grade-level math. By integrating precision diagnostics into the learning process, schools can provide students with the personalized support they need to close these gaps and get back on track.

Implementing precision diagnostics enables schools to move beyond the one-size-fits-all approach that has long failed so many students. It offers a way to tailor instruction to students’ unique needs, ensuring that they can build the foundational skills necessary to succeed in more advanced math. By focusing on precise, data-driven insights, schools can help students make meaningful progress, even when they are initially far behind their peers.

Finally, to truly turn around math performance in urban schools, educators must be willing to embrace innovative approaches and break away from the status quo. The schools and districts that have succeeded in improving math outcomes are those that dared to be different, took risks, and implemented programs outside the mainstream. Unfortunately, these success stories are still too few and far between. The schools that continue to struggle are often the ones that persist in using the same methods that have already failed.

The crisis in math education in urban schools is real, but it is not insurmountable. By embracing technology and new ways of doing things, we can change the paradigm and create a brighter future for our students. Precision diagnostics, coupled with a commitment to personalized learning and a willingness to discard ineffective programs, can make a world of difference. It’s time to rethink our approach to math education, to be bold, and to use the tools at our disposal to ensure that every student has the opportunity to succeed. The path forward requires courage, innovation, and a belief in the potential of every child. Let’s seize this opportunity to make real, lasting change in our schools.