This investigation explores the relationship between the use of digital pencil and mathematical problem-solving accuracy among 1,530 students with learning disabilities (LD) and 25,400 general education (GE) peers from the 2017 digital National Assessment of Educational Progress mathematics assessment. The term "digital pencil" in this…

The effectiveness of Tier 2 interventions may depend on the variability of student skills within an intervention group. We investigated the effect of initial variability within intervention groups using data from a large-scale study of ROOTS, a Tier 2 kindergarten mathematics intervention. Our research questions were as follows: Does mathematics…

Early mathematics achievement sets the stage for a range of important academic and career outcomes. As efforts to improve elementary mathematics instruction have increased, efforts to better understand how students develop mathematics knowledge and why students respond to mathematics instruction have also emerged. Given known correlations between…

This study explored whether initial skill moderated outcomes of Promoting Algebra Readiness, a Tier 2 sixth grade mathematics intervention targeting conceptual and procedural knowledge of fractions. The study analyzed data from a quasi-experimental pilot study in which at-risk students (n = 198) were assigned to the treatment or control condition…

Children vary widely in their number knowledge by the time they enter kindergarten, and this variation is related to their future academic success. Although talk about number predicts children's early understanding of foundational number concepts, we know little about whether interventions can increase this talk nor about the types of number talk…

Effective early mathematics instruction is critical to support long-term mathematics achievement. Given that student response to typical instruction varies, a range of mathematics interventions have been developed to support foundational mathematics development. However, not all students respond to these interventions. To better understand factors…

Differences in children's mathematics knowledge are evident at kindergarten entry, favoring children who have greater access to economic resources. Fostering preschoolers' mathematics learning at home and in classroom settings, through games and other developmentally appropriate activities, is of great interest to educators, early childhood…

This study examined whether the efficacy of a 50 lesson mathematics intervention program focused on whole number concepts for at-risk kindergarten students, ROOTS, differed by group size and whether initial skill moderated intervention effects by group size. The study utilized a randomized block design with at-risk students (n = 1,251) within…

A concerning number of students enter kindergarten facing an intractable variation of mathematics difficulties (MD). This study investigated the impact of an explicit, core kindergarten mathematics program on the mathematical outcomes of kindergartners who demonstrated severe MD at kindergarten entry and examined whether these students improved…

Some elementary students may exhibit challenging externalizing or internalizing behaviors in addition to difficulty with mathematics. In this study, we explored the behavioral patterns of 441 3rd-grade students with and without mathematics difficulty (MD). Compared to students without MD, students with MD demonstrated higher rates of externalizing…

Measurement and statistical investigation are areas of mathematics visibly neglected in educational intervention research, particularly studies involving students with or at risk for mathematics difficulties (MD). This shortage is concerning given the importance these areas hold in students' pursuit of mathematical proficiency. This study…

Previous studies have documented that individual differences in fine and gross motor skills are associated with executive function (EF) skills. This study used an experimental design to test whether participating in cognitively challenging motor skills activities was causally related to improvements in motor skills and two key indicators of school…

The purpose of this study was to examine the word-problem performance and strategies utilized by 3rd-grade students experiencing mathematics difficulty (MD). We assessed the efficacy of a word-problem intervention and compared the word-problem performance of students with MD who received intervention (n=51) to students with MD who received general…

We describe here lessons learned in designing an early algebra curriculum to measure early algebra's impact on children's algebra readiness for middle grades. The curriculum was developed to supplement regular mathematics instruction in Grades K-5. Lessons learned centered around the importance of several key factors, including using conceptual…

A quasi-experimental design in six kindergarten classrooms (n = 123 students) was used to study the effects of the KinderTEK iPad-based math program on the math achievement of students in general education classrooms. Student math outcomes in three treatment ("early start") classrooms were compared to math outcomes for students in three…