Palo Alto Unified School District, where about 80% of students meet math standards, may soon have to screen its youngest learners under a bill on Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk.

Senate Bill 1067 would require every California school to give diagnostic math assessments to kindergartners, first-graders and second-graders starting in the 2028-29 school year. Students who fall behind would receive individual or small-group tutoring, CalMatters reported.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson, a Democrat from San Diego, responds to the state's math crisis. The most recent state results show 37% of California students met grade-level math standards.

PAUSD sits far above that mark. The district's 79.62% math proficiency rate on the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) is more than double the statewide figure, according to state data compiled by Think Academy. The district enrolls roughly 10,300 students.

Whether PAUSD already administers a formal K-2 math diagnostic that would satisfy the bill's requirements is unclear. The district's elementary math curriculum centers on Bridges in Mathematics, and its public math focus has leaned toward middle and high school acceleration, including a Math Validation Process for rising sixth- through eighth-graders.

PAUSD has built some early-screening infrastructure on the reading side. In February 2025, the district convened a Reading Difficulties Risk Screener Committee for K-2 students, PAUSD said on X. That committee worked on identifying effective tools for dyslexia screening. No parallel math effort has been publicly announced.

The bill passed unanimously in the California Senate and 71-0 in the Assembly, with eight abstentions. The California Teachers Association (CTA) opposed the measure, arguing that mandated assessments stress young students and that the state should instead invest in teacher training.

"That said, sometimes things pass that we oppose, and we have to deal with that," CTA President David Goldberg said.

Under SB 1067, the State Board of Education must approve criteria for selecting assessments by July 31, 2027. The California Department of Education must publish a list of approved tools by Jan. 31, 2028. Districts already using their own screeners can continue if they self-certify the tool meets state criteria. Parents would be notified of their child's results.

Newsom has until the end of September to sign or veto the bill.