The report of the national response to intervention (RTI) evaluation study, conducted during 2011-2012, was released in November 2015. Anyone who has read the lengthy report can attest to its complexity and the design used in the study. Both these factors can influence the interpretation of the results from this evaluation. In this commentary, we…

Response to intervention (RTI) is a comprehensive early detection and prevention strategy used to identify and support struggling students before they fall behind. An RTI model usually has three tiers or levels of support. Tier 1 is generally defined as classroom instruction provided to all students, tier 2 is typically a preventive intervention…

A formative pilot study of a fractions intervention was conducted to address the intervention's potential for improving fifth-grade struggling students' knowledge of fractions, and to identify any logistical or instructional design issues, before scaling up for a randomized control trial. In the first section, we provide details of the formative…

The goal of this randomized controlled trial (RCT) was to evaluate the effectiveness of a small-group intervention in fractions for fifth-graders who are performing below grade level in mathematics. The impact of the fractions intervention was assessed on fifth-grade at-risk students' understanding of foundational fractions concepts and procedural…

Contemporary state math standards emphasize that students must demonstrate an understanding of the mathematical ideas underlying the computations that have typically been the core of the elementary school math curriculum. The standards have put an increased emphasis on the study of fractions in upper elementary grades, which are the years during…