Combo PPT 11 6 071 - Screening for Mathematics Difficulty...

Ben Clarke, Ph.D.
November 6, 2007
Screening for Mathematics
Difficulty

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2007
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A lesson from reading: Perhaps?

The trajectory of reading development
led to a focus on prevention efforts

Preventing the establishment of reading
problems is now accepted practice
dependent on…

Early identification assessments

Effective early literacy interventions

Does the same pattern hold true for
mathematics?

What about math?

Does math develop in the same way as
reading? That is, does it make “sense” to
prevent math problems?

Less knowledge about long term trajectories

Emerging databases may help to answer this
question (ECCLES, Jordan, Fuchs)

Emerging evidence suggests difficulty in math is
relatively stable over time

What about math?

We do know that math knowledge
develops across multiple domains (e.g.
number, geometry)

Students may be on-track in one area and
at-risk in another

How these domains develop and interact
continues to be researched

The importance of a logical scope and
sequence is paramount

Characteristics of students
with mathematics difficulties

Different profile types exist for students with
mathematics difficulties

Students with mathematics difficulties often
have

difficulty with quick and accurate retrieval of basic
facts (Hasselbring, 88)

Working memory deficits (Geary, 94)

Difficulty in abstracting mathematical meaning
from symbols

Early Screening

Brief screening measures

Used with all students to screen for risk
status

Use with all students drives the design and
construction of screening measures

Measures are of short duration and may be
timed

Early Screening Cont.

Goal is to maximize the amount of information
collected in the minimum amount of time

Predictive validity is critical (e.g. a low score in the
Fall predicts difficulty at the end of the year)

Predictive validity is to a broad measure of
mathematics. That is we are predicting general
outcomes.