The Maryland State Board of Education this week approved new math standards for the first time in 15 years.

The revised standards spell out exactly which mathematical concepts students are expected to master in each grade, with skills taught in the lower grades reintroduced as a child matriculates. The change comes after Maryland earlier this year passed a new math policy that also adjusts how the subject is taught.

For example, under the new standards, kindergarten students are now expected to understand the number 10 as a group, collection or bundle of ones called a “ten.” Under the old standards, these students were expected to use objects or drawings to describe numbers from 11 to 19.

Board President Josh Michael, a former math teacher, said he expects the standards to foster deeper learning and greater equity across the state’s classrooms.

“These revisions reflect months, if not years, of input from educators, researchers and community stakeholders,” he said.

The last time Maryland touched its math standards was 2010, when the state, like so many others across the nation, adopted the Common Core Standards. Many families criticized the standards for their rigor and complexity, and following the shift, Maryland’s math achievement plummeted.

So many students were struggling with the subject that so-called ‘math anxiety’ spiked, and a growing number of students started declaring they were ‘not math people.’ Parents also flocked to social media with complaints. Board Vice President Monica Goldson said she hopes that aversion is about to change.

“It is our hope that maybe what we will do is create a generation of learners that no longer say, ‘I do not like mathematics,’ but that can do it,” she said.

The new standards are set to take effect starting in the 2026-27 school year after districts have had a chance to develop a new curriculum and the state selects a vendor to develop new, aligned assessments.