What does it really mean to be fluent in math?
For many of us, fluency conjures memories of timed tests, flashcards, and the nagging uncertainty of whether 7 × 8 is 54 or 56. But fluency is not about drill-and-kill worksheets or memorizing facts under pressure. As Dr. Jennifer Bay-Williams put it during our recent webinar, “Memorization is for phone numbers, not math class.”
Instead, fluency is about building the number sense and reasoning strategies that help students approach problems flexibly, efficiently, and accurately. It’s knowing when to rely on a strategy, how to adapt when stuck, and how to make sense of math rather than just repeat it back.
That has big implications for classrooms and systems. “I don’t want to ever strand my students on an island with no strategy to get to an answer,” said Alanna Mertens, a K-5 mathematics manager at Chicago Public Schools. Dr. Laura Glass, assistant commissioner of the New York State Education Department, emphasized that “[pictorial and physical] representations can’t be underestimated. They help students access the math and build sense-making.” And Dr. Dia Bryant, facilitator of the National Math Improvement Project, reminded us that “binaries are only good for coding. Math fluency is not speed versus understanding—it’s both.”
Momentum is growing across the country. Chicago doubled down on district-wide fluency work. New York is centering fluency in its numeracy initiative. And states including Kentucky, Alabama, and Maryland are prioritizing math learning through legislation and policy. Together, these shifts highlight both the urgency and the opportunity: moving away from rote recall doesn’t lower expectations. It reduces anxiety, builds confidence, and opens the door to higher-level math.
As Mertens put it, “We’ve got a big groundswell coming up of people really understanding math as a joyful experience.” That’s a vision worth celebrating—and one that’s taking hold in schools nationwide.
You can view the recording and read the Fluency Primer on the National Math Improvement Project website.
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