3-Tiered Response to Mathematical Challenges

 

 

Special education and math toolkit

Option 1

 

Special education students face many challenges in inclusive mathematics classrooms. While the challenges that students can present can range, so can the intervention or tools to address the challenges. As students with disabilities may present a continuum of challenges and disabilities related to mathematics, the intervention to address these challenges can also be viewed as a continuum or hierarchy of tools. The particular hierarchy proposed is modeled after the “80-15-5 rule” and pyramid that comes from the field of Positive Behavior Intervention Supports and discusses Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Prevention/Supports. Thus, what are some of the primary, secondary, and tertiary supports/preventions that can be used to address students with disabilities challenges or struggles in mathematics?

Primary prevention/supports ar to be provided by the classroom teacher to all students in an inclusive classroom. The purpose of a primary prevention or support is to serve the majority of students in a classroom/grade level/schools and to hopefully reduce the number of students who will later be at risk for mathematical challenges or problems. In theory, primary supports/interventions should work with 80% of students.

 

Secondary prevention/support is to be provided to a smaller subset of students. It provides supplemental instruction or programs to address the needs of students who are not making adequate progress (or who are struggling) in mathematics. The purpose of secondary preventions/supports is to help prevent students’ lack of progress and their need for even more intense interventions. In theory, secondary supports/interventions should work with an additional 15% of students.

 

Tertiary prevention/support is for students who low skills in mathematics or areas that impact their learning and participation in inclusive mathematics classrooms. Tertiary skills are designed for students who are not making adequate progress with just primary or secondary preventions or supports. The intensity of supports and interventions increases to meet the needs of this group. In theory, tertiary supports/interventions should work with the final 5% of students.

I.                    Primary Supports/Preventions

a.       Utilizing an appropriate, research-based curriculum or program for students

b.      Conducting progress monitoring of students to determine instructional needs and help make/guide instructional designs

                                                               i.      Example: Curriculum-based measurement

c.       Ongoing professional development

 

II.                 Secondary Supports/Preventions

a.       Providing accommodations to students

b.      Providing students with the use of calculators

c.       Providing real-world context and embedding real-world applications into the presentation and production of mathematical concepts and procedures

d.      Providing students manipulatives to help them to understand mathematical concepts and/or procedures

e.       Providing students opportunities to work in small groups or with partners (including assignments and assessments)

f.        Teach students self-monitoring and self-questioning strategies 

g.       Providing students with repetition and reviewing of mathematical concepts and procedures

                                                               i.      Review prerequisites

h.       Provide advanced organizers (brief outlines of steps to follow to solve a problem, discussions of daily life applications, overviews of types of problems to be solved in upcoming units)

i.         Breaking a problem into steps that are manageable (step-by-step procedures)

j.        Teaching students transfer and generalization by providing examples and providing multiple practice in real-life contexts whenever possible

k.      Focus on the fundamental ideas and make connections across and among mathematical ides

l.         Mnemonic strategies (demonstrate how a strategy works, explain purpose of it, model use, and help students to remember it)

m.     Use visual aids (i.e. tables, charts, graphs, etc.)

n.       Using PALS

o.      Using CBM

 

III.               Tertiary Supports/Prevention

a.       Increasing instructional time (additional time or courses)

b.      Utilizing a different curriculum (more skills-based or that utilizes direct instruction)

c.       Using CBM (more in-depth)

d.      Using PALS (more in-depth)