Like many teachers, I see my fifth graders return from summer break with shaky confidence that can make a multiplication or fraction review feel overwhelming. On average, students lose of their school-year gains in math from the “summer slide,” which adds stress for kids and puts extra pressure on teachers to rebuild foundational skills.

While there’s no single fix, I’ve found one shift makes a real difference in helping students re-engage with math: treating it like a team sport. Last spring, that approach even helped our Title I school, Sinking Springs Elementary in York, Pennsylvania, win the world’s largest math competition, the .

We outscored 4.2 million students across 70,000 schools, earning a $100,000 tech grant. We’re using that money to purchase larger flat screen TVs for all classrooms that allow students to follow along from their seats, an enhanced projector and sound system for events in our cafeteria, and gaming devices like Nintendo Switches and VR headsets for students to check out as a reward.

As you can see in this , my students were rightfully proud of their win — and, believe me, they worked hard for it. But what mattered more was the strategy and teamwork that made us champions. Encouragement, consistent practice and collaboration toward a common goal can reshape how students learn — and that’s why I prioritize team activities and competition in my math lessons all year long.

Of course, teachers may worry that competition will create pressure or leave struggling students behind, especially in math classes where skills vary widely and students need individual support. But that’s why a “team sport” approach works. When students collaborate toward a common goal, they’re motivated by how each person’s effort brings the group closer to a victory.

I saw that firsthand when my class competed in the Prodigy National Cup. During the competition, our entire school of fourth through sixth graders competed against other qualifying elementary and middle schools nationwide to answer as many math questions correctly as possible.

Each correct answer, no matter the grade level or difficulty, counted equally toward our school’s total points, which meant every student had an opportunity to contribute. Our students correctly answered a total of nearly 730,000 standards-aligned math questions during the two-week period!

For students who may experience fear or anxiety in math class, this model was incredibly motivating. Instead of racing against a timer, they could work on problems tailored to their level at their own pace and see how their participation helped us climb the leaderboard.

Almost immediately, the classroom energy changed. Students who usually complained about math practice were suddenly asking to tackle extra problems in class and for homework. Just as importantly, students were raising their hands with questions more often because they wanted to help our school succeed.

Engagement soared when my class saw how their hard work contributed to something bigger than themselves. However, when kids are involved in some friendly competition, it’s important to set the stage for a positive, low-stress experience. I’ve seen that when students feel truly supported, they’re empowered to take risks and stretch beyond their comfort zones in math class.

Here are three strategies that can help make math challenges motivating and meaningful for all learners:

1. Encourage healthy, respectful competition

In any competition, good sportsmanship is essential. Before starting a math challenge, always set expectations with the class: We respect our opponents, celebrate effort and focus on learning just as much as winning.

At my school, we love organizing grade-level competitions. My class might challenge our neighbors to see who can review the most multi-digit multiplication problems in a week. While rooting for our team is part of the fun, we still remember the bigger picture. Every practice problem helps our grade grow together and become stronger mathematicians.

With this mindset, a multiplication challenge can also be a social-emotional lesson. Students strengthen key math skills and model how to support and respect their peers in the process.

2. Show the importance of practice

Students often need reminders that consistent practice will help them improve. By turning math lessons into team challenges, practice becomes our daily “training.”

For example, compare your class to a professional sports team. Those athletes don’t just start training a few weeks before the championship game. They train throughout the year and often go back to the basics to sharpen their skills. Math works the same way. In the first few weeks of school, we may need to warm up with a review of fourth-grade concepts before starting new material.

A huge benefit of game-based learning platforms is that students can track their progress independently as they practice. Each milestone gives them a boost of confidence to keep trying even when problems get more difficult.

3. Celebrate the victories

Don’t forget to remind students that persistence pays off. When math is a team sport, every person gets to share in the victory.

In my classroom, we celebrate the small wins by clapping for our classmates. If we’re competing with our neighboring class to practice fractions, we’ll cheer for a student who persevered through a tough problem or mastered a new skill. By recognizing those moments, students remember that a win for one person is also a win for our classroom community.

At the same time, incentives help keep motivation high. It can be as simple as the class earning extra choice time for answering a certain number of math questions. The rewards don’t have to be elaborate; they just need to build excitement and anticipation for the next challenge.

Many students carry insecurities about their math abilities, and that self-doubt can hold them back. When they see themselves as part of a team, something shifts. Instead of fearing potential mistakes, they focus on helping the group succeed.

From my experience, students who feel inspired by a challenge — and encouraged by their class community — will step up with a can-do attitude. In the process, they gain confidence in themselves as growing mathematicians, ready to take on the next problem.

Whether it’s a national competition or just another Tuesday math block, a shared goal brings new energy into the classroom. Set a class target, and you’ll be shocked at how quickly your most hesitant student raises their hand to ask for five more minutes of practice.

The report looks at several areas NCTQ identified as essential to strengthening instruction and rates states on how well they hit those markers. 

It found, for example, only 21 states provide clear, detailed guidance to teacher preparation programs about what they should teach in regard to numbers and operations, algebraic thinking, geometry and measurement, and data analysis and probability — topics the group found, based on research, critical to teachers’ and students’ success.  

And 24 states offer no recommendation as to which materials districts should be using in the classroom, a missed opportunity to suggest the best possible curricula for young children, NCTQ found.  

“We know how important strong math skills are for students: They add up to better reading scores and they’re a signal of stronger college readiness,” said NCTQ President Heather Peske. “We found that across the country, states can do much more to better prepare elementary teachers to teach math.”

U.S. students’ ongoing struggles with math proficiency have sparked multiple examinations of how math is taught throughout K-12 and what needs to change to bring about improvement. The most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress, released in January and often referred to as the Nation’s Report Card, showed math scores were flat for eighth graders and up slightly for fourth graders, but those gains went mostly to high achievers.

In the NCTQ report, Alabama is a notable exception in its approach, making improvements to math instruction on multiple fronts, including in teacher training programs and the use of high-quality instructional materials. 

State Superintendent Eric G. Mackey said the effort began roughly seven years ago, starting with the development of new standards — followed by new assessments. After that came a coaching pilot program that was so successful, he said, it will be available in every K-5 school within just a few years. 

Mackey said the effort around finding stellar curricula proved challenging: It took the state two years to develop the first list. 

“But it wasn’t good enough,” he said. “So, we did a second and third round of vetting and got it down to a pretty tight group.”

Alabama also updated all of its standards around teacher training and added a new master’s degree, that of an elementary math specialist, he said. Some of the efforts seemed to pay off: Fourth-grade Alabama NAEP scores rose six points between 2022 and 2024 and were just a single point below the national average. 

But the state still struggles with older students: 8th-grade scores dropped by two points in that timeframe and were the national average. 

“We are limited on funds,” Mackey said. “Our strategy is to get it right in elementary school and then maintain that through middle school.”

NCTQ notes that while states have the authority to set the standards for teacher preparation programs, 16 outsource that job, often to national organizations that don’t always focus on the teaching of mathematics. 

And, their analysis found, many states don’t require teacher prep programs to address the knowledge and skills teachers need to teach math concepts, despite the long-recognized benefits to students. 

NCTQ also found fault with many of the 30 elementary math licensure tests used across the country: 31 states offer “unacceptable” or “weak” licensure tests, it found. 

Iowa and Maine have none at all.

Only 10 such tests were “acceptable” by NCTQ: All paid adequate attention to numbers and operations, algebraic thinking, geometry and measurement and data analysis and probability. Thirteen states — Alabama, Connecticut and Texas among them — require a “strong” and “acceptable” test for all elementary math teacher candidates. 

Only six tests were deemed “strong” and are used exclusively in five states: Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Alabama and New York.. 

Of the 17 weak tests, five address less than half of the subtopics in one or more areas and all combine math with one or more other subjects. 

Three tests were deemed “unacceptable” because they omit one or more math content topic areas — but they are used in nine states: Michigan, Alaska, Delaware, Idaho, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, South Dakota and West Virginia. 

And, NCTQ found, just 21 states make the passing rates on their elementary math licensure test public, making it difficult to identify those that have failed to offer robust programs.

Like other studies before it, NCTQ notes the importance of high-quality instructional materials, curriculum aligned with college- and career-ready standards: Such tools have great potential in improving student performance. Despite these benefits, only four states require their use, including Rhode Island. 

State law requires the state education department to identify at least five high-quality curricula that align with state standards. Rhode Island districts must implement one of them, though the plan does allow for some flexibility: Districts can apply for a waiver if at least three-quarters of students meet state assessment goals — and no student subgroups need targeted help. 

Like Alabama, many states find their academic goals constrained by limited budgets. Just 24 states provide funding for math curriculum materials and only two — South Carolina and Tennessee — provide funding for this purpose and require schools to select materials from an approved list, NCTQ found. 

The report also touts the importance of professional development for math teachers, noting that nearly 60% of the potential impact of adopting high-quality curricula depends on teachers improving their instructional practices.

“We know the importance of professional learning,” Peske said. “It goes hand in hand with the adoption of high-quality instructional materials.”

The group said only six states financially support math coaches/specialists in K-12 schools, and just four — Alabama, California, Georgia and Michigan — provide funding for both professional learning and coaching.

Louisiana schools have used high-quality instructional materials for math and English language arts for more than a decade, but it wasn’t enough to improve student achievement, State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley said. 

The state now requires all fourth- through eighth-grade math teachers to complete a 50-hour numeracy course — teachers in younger grades will soon have to meet a similar requirement — and while districts are free to select their own curriculum, the state created a rating system that has encouraged many to pick what it considers the best offerings. 

Louisiana also invested $100 million in tutoring programs in recent years. It has already seen a difference in student performance. 

“We have made really good progress,” Brumley said. “But what happens in Louisiana is the same as what happens across the country: As students matriculate from 4th to 8th grade, academic performance declines. Our intent is to be the first state to correct that issue in math.

“We are also refreshing our math standards with great emphasis on foundational math skills in the early grades,” he added. “We talk about fluent readers but we don’t talk enough about fluent mathematicians — and that needs to change.”