Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, D-Bronx, speaks on the Assembly floor in March.

It’s been a while since some school districts have used old-school multiplication tables.

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, D-Bronx, wants to change that.

Dinowitz recently introduced legislation (A.7850 that would require students to memorize multiplication tables as part of a school district’s basic education program.

“When Common Core was implemented in New York state, students were skipping what once were fundamental elements of the educational foundation,” Dinowitz wrote in his legislative justification. “Section B01 of the Education Law requires certain fundamental elements to our education curriculum that result in well-rounded students that are versed in things that we have deemed fundamental throughout the years. The ability for pupils to show competency in basic multiplication through a proven method schools have used for years is of the utmos importance.”

Several states had legislation discussed over the past several years to require memorization of multiplication tables, but the only one that appears to have passed such a law is New Hampshire in 2023 – and that bill took years before its eventual passage. New Hampshire House Bill 170 of 2023 requires that schools must teach cursive writing by the end of fifth grade as part of the state’s English language arts curriculum and multiplication tables also be taught by the end of fifth grade.

A 2022 study by Dror Dotan and Sharon Zviran-Ginat in the journal Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications cites prior research that states understanding the mathematical aspects of multiplication is necessary because it provides a way to solve multiplication exercises while, at the same time, underlies the knowledge of how to use multiplication for particular goals. Rote memory helps students become proficient in math, which is why in several countries typical multiplication lessons include not only conceptual learning but also rote memorization of the multiplication table using various strategies that can include recitation or songs.

Those who oppose the old practice of simply memorizing the multiplication tables say memorization without understanding the underlying concepts of multiplication can prevent students from learning the broader mathematical context of the facts they memorized and divert attention from other lessons taught by math instruction, including problem-solving, reasoning, and exploration of relationships between numbers.

A year after the state Legislature approved legislation returning reading instruction to the phonics-based “Science of Reading” as part of the 2025 enacted state budget, Dinowitz wants the state Legislature to take a similar action when it comes to a portion of math instruction.

“This bill would require that this fundamental building block of our children’s education be a part of the curriculum regardless of whether it is required as part of any of the now numerous standardized tests students are subjected to,” Dinowitz said.