HARRISBURG, PA – Senator Lisa Boscola (D-Northampton/Lehigh, District 18) and Senator Tracy Pennycuick (R-Berks/Montgomery, District 24) today announced the introduction of Senate Bill 422, a bipartisan initiative to address lagging math proficiency among Pennsylvania’s elementary students by providing a supplemental mathematics program for kindergarten through fifth grade. Introduced on March 10, 2025, and referred to the Senate Education Committee, the bill amends the Public School Code of 1949 to offer schools a voluntary, no-cost resource to enhance math skills and engagement.
Recent data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) underscores the urgency of this legislation. In 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, 47% of Pennsylvania 4th graders scored at or above the NAEP Proficient level in mathematics, surpassing the national average of 41%. By 2024, this figure had fallen to 41%, a 6-percentage-point drop, while the national rate stood at 39%, down 2 points from 2019. Although Pennsylvania’s 2024 proficiency rate slightly exceeds the national average, it remains well below pre-pandemic levels, reflecting a partial recovery from a low of 40% in 2022. Nationally, 4th-grade math scores dropped 3 points from 2019 to 2024, with Pennsylvania’s decline slightly steeper at 5 points, highlighting a persistent challenge in regaining lost ground.
Senate Bill 422 directs the Pennsylvania Department of Education to select a supplemental mathematics program—widely understood to align with the proven First In Math platform—for the 2025-2026 school year. The program will be available to both public and nonpublic schools at no cost, aiming to reverse these trends by fostering enthusiasm and mastery of foundational math skills.
“Math can be a little scary, and sometimes there aren’t a lot of students who want to engage in math,” Senator Boscola said during a recent school visit. “Well, when you give them First In Math, there is an enthusiasm with the students because it is non-judgmental when they are solving math problems. And there is an excitement when you add the game skills to it.” She added, “We have the stat sheets. We know that students are doing great when they do First In Math, but I want this to go statewide in Pennsylvania and then be a model for the rest of the country.”
Senator Pennycuick emphasized the bill’s role in preparing students for future opportunities. “With math proficiency still below pre-pandemic levels—41% in Pennsylvania compared to 47% in 2019—we need innovative tools like this to close the gap,” she said. “Senate Bill 422 invests in our students’ futures and in the industries that depend on a skilled workforce.”
First In Math, developed by inventor Bob Sun, has enabled students to solve over 33 billion math problems through its game-based, feedback-driven approach. “My focus has always been on how you get a child to take ownership, to enjoy thinking mathematically and put the time in to do that practice,” Sun said. “With the Internet, we finally now have a cost-effective way of giving children immediate feedback in an academic skill like mathematics, and if we do it without judgment, students relish that opportunity.”
Senator Boscola sees long-term potential: “If every school participated in First In Math, we’d see higher math skills for sure, more of an enthusiasm to engage in math to begin with, and then I think you’d see more engineers, more students that want to be astronauts. There are all these companies that are just looking for students that excel in math work, and we are getting there one step at a time. I can feel it. I really do.”
Sun added, “When a mind is anxious or fearful, it cannot solve the simplest of problems. Kids are anxious because they are unprepared. The reason they are unprepared is because they have not practiced. First In Math gives them that immediate feedback without judgment.”
The bill requires the selected program to motivate students through self-directed practice, enhance problem-solving skills, and be accessible across devices and to families. It also mandates annual reporting on usage and outcomes. Co-sponsored by Senators Culver, Fontana, Schwank, Costa, Stefano, Vogel, Santarsiero, Miller, and Rothman, Senate Bill 422 reflects a unified push to address the 6-point proficiency gap since 2019 and elevate Pennsylvania’s standing.
About Senate Bill 422: Introduced on March 10, 2025, Senate Bill 422 amends the Public School Code of 1949 to provide a supplemental mathematics program for K-5 students starting in the 2025-2026 school year, offered voluntarily and free to schools, with annual impact reports.
For more information, please contact:
Senator Lisa Boscola’s Office
(717) 787-4236
Senator Tracy Pennycuick’s Office
(717) 783-7302
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