#77: Unlocking Mathematical Potential with Evidence-Based Interventions

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Ever feel like math gets the short end of the stick when it comes to educational support? Join me, Jessica Curtis, as I shine a spotlight on the shadowed world of math intervention, ensuring that students receive the balanced educational support they desperately need. In a realm where reading intervention takes center stage, I lead a charge to champion the cause of those wrestling with numbers. We'll unpack the necessity of foundational math skills, discussing how educators can identify and tackle deficits in students' understanding, from basic number recognition to complex geometrical concepts. This isn't just talk; it's a battle cry for action, urging teachers to spearhead effective math intervention strategies in their classrooms and ensure no child is left behind as they navigate the tricky waters of mathematics within the MTSS and RTI frameworks.

Data isn't just numbers on a page – it's the compass that guides our teaching strategies and the lifeline that connects us to the resources our students need. In this heart-to-heart, I walk you through "Five Steps to Progress Monitoring," a toolkit designed to empower educators with the know-how to track and assess student progress confidently. Through charts and observation tools, we look into how data informs decision-making and communication with parents and colleagues. As we gear up for a fresh start post-holiday season, I'll share insights on the strategic timing for implementing these interventions, seeking to foster a robust environment of growth and achievement in the classroom. So, take my hand as we step into the world of data-driven instruction and advocacy, ensuring every learner has the opportunity to excel.

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Links Mentioned in the Show:

https://teachingstrugglinglearners.com 

5 Steps to Getting Started with Progress Monitoring

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
When we talk about progress monitoring or MTSS or
RTI, a lot of the time, most ofthe time, we're talking about
reading, but there are so manykids, so many, that are
struggling in math.
The fact is, math is often theforgotten subject when we're

(00:23):
talking about MTSS orinterventions, so that's
definitely something that we aregoing to talk about today.

Speaker 2 (00:39):
Hi, I'm Jessica Curtis of Teaching Struggling
Learners.
I'm a boy-mom and a veteranteacher.
You're listening to theReaching Struggling Learners
podcast, where we talk all abouthelping students succeed
academically, socially andbehaviorally.
Thank you so much for tuning in.

Speaker 1 (01:06):
Reading has been the main focus for many years for
interventions.
This is because there have beena lot of reading initiatives,
which means there's been a lotof money earmarked by the
government due to drop inliteracy rates over time.
And, let's be honest, you knowthat when we're talking about

(01:28):
education, where the money goes,that's where the attention goes
.
So that's why so much of ourfocus and so many of our
interventions, the money putinto interventions, are going
for reading.
Schools are going to track andprovide interventions based on
where the money comes from.

(01:49):
So so much money is tied up inreading and getting all those
things set up.
There are a lot of readingintervention programs.
Let's be honest.
The corporations see, hey,there's a lot of money that's
earmarked for reading, they'regoing to put more money into

(02:10):
finding different alternativesfor reading interventions.
So that means, unfortunately,because there just isn't as many
initiatives for math, thereisn't as much money that is
assigned for math.
Less money that's assigned formath means there's going to be
fewer intervention programs.

(02:31):
Now, I've seen a few probablyhonestly two or three math
intervention programs, and noneof them that I have seen are
nearly as in depth as theintervention programs that have
been provided for reading.

(02:52):
In reading they're just aboutevery curriculum company
provides multiple options forreading intervention and it's
usually a big box set.
We will provide everything forreading, all the manipulatives
and all the assessments and allthe things.
That is really rare for math.

(03:13):
Math programs come in littlepieces, bits and bobs here and
there.
Here you can help with this,here you can help with that, but
it doesn't have the wholeencompassing program that
programs that reading usually isassigned Again, that's just

(03:34):
because of that's where themoney goes.
The attention follows the money, because that's the world we
live in, unfortunately, with theway education is right now.
The fact is, though, as teachers, we know there are a lot of
kids who struggle in math,whether the money recognizes

(03:57):
that or not.
So what do we do for the kidswho struggle in math?
Well, you know I'm going to gomy step by step, because I'm not
going to waste your time,because you have too much to do
for me to waste your time.
So the first step that you knowI'm going to tell you to do is
I want you to identify the mostfoundational skill deficit.

(04:21):
All right, and, by the way,these steps what to do, for you
know your students arestruggling in math.
I don't care.
You can, you can quote me onthis.
I don't care if you're MTSSprocess, rti process, whatever
you call it, if your processrequires you to identify the

(04:42):
students that are struggling inmath or not.
I have seen some districts whotheir focus is so, so little on
math that that's not arequirement.
It's not, it's not somethingthat they make teachers.
Identify the students arestruggling in math and bring
them to MTSS.
If your school doesn't, if yourdistrict doesn't, okay, fine.

(05:06):
I strongly, strongly suggestthat you do this because you
know it's the right thing to doanyway.
Go ahead and identify thosestudents.
If you have a student that'sstruggling in math, these same
processes, the same progressmonitoring techniques are going
to help your students.

(05:27):
Whether you're going throughthe formal school based MTSS
process or not, you can still doall of these things in your own
classroom and you can causesome amazing results for your
students, whether you're doingit in a formal administrative
meeting or not.
So I just want to put that outthere, that you don't have to

(05:49):
wait for your school to say now,we're going to be monitoring
math as well.
If they're not monitoring math,well, don't bet on them.
We need to be doing some somegood work with our students in
math as well as reading.
So, step one, no matter what,whether you're going through the
MTSS process or not, the firststep is going to be to identify

(06:13):
the most foundational skilldeficit.
Now, that could be numberidentification, it could be
place value, it could beaddition, fluency, subtraction,
fluency, multiplication, fluencywhatever it is.
And don't forget to look atgeometry, looking at time,
looking at money, looking at allof those other areas too.

(06:34):
Just like with reading, justlike with writing, when we talk
about writing, we have toidentify the most basic skill
deficit, because there's nopoint in building up from a
shaky base.
So students who don't have goodaddition, fact fluency, they're

(06:56):
not going to do well withmultiplication.
That's just the reality.
I'll tell you right now astudent who can't tell time is
not going to be able to doelapsed time problems.
This is all you know, allsimple stuff.
We know that logically.
But when we're working in ourclassrooms and we realize, oh,

(07:17):
our students aren't very good atadding, well, guess what?
They're also not going to begood at adding with decimals.
So we have to make sure that wego back and we identify the
most foundational skill deficitthe next time.
Next thing we want to do ischeck on prerequisite skills for
complete mastery.

(07:38):
We don't want to move on with80% mastery and I'll talk about
this later in some laterepisodes.
I planned for 2024 but guys, ifstudents only know 80% of
something, they're not ready tomove on to the next step because
they haven't mastered theprevious skill.

(08:01):
Yeah, they're confident with itand they're doing well in it,
but they need to have thatmastery so that they'll be able
to master the next level.
So, check prerequisite skillsFor students who are struggling
with place value.
Make sure that they understand.
Hey, this is.
Each of these columns meansthis much, and how many groups

(08:26):
of 10 does it make to get to 30and all those kinds of things.
The prerequisite skills what arethe things that the kids have
to know to be able to understandthis concept?
Maybe they know it, maybe theyconceptually know that two plus
two is four, for example.
I'm oversimplifying, but ifthey're not confident with it,

(08:53):
if it's not just innateunderstanding with them, moving
on to the next thing, of 2.2plus 2.2 is going to be 4.4,
they have to understand.
2 plus 2 is four, it all builds.
We have to make sure that theprerequisite skills are at 100%,

(09:14):
and if they're not, that'swhere we're starting, that's
where we're going to be makingour goal.
Step three is we want toidentify one or two ways to
teach or practice that skill.
Now, again, this can get alittle bit more difficult
because, unlike with reading,normally with reading I would

(09:34):
say, okay, figure out, you knowwhat are we going to.
How do we want to work on thatskill?
No, right now, what programsusually are what the schools are
talking about at this point?
Math doesn't have that manyprograms.
Unfortunately, there isn't.
There aren't that many box setsand you may not have the
ability to access a box set.

(09:55):
So sometimes we got to work alittle bit harder on this.
Unfortunately, goodness knows,teachers don't need more work,
but here we are.
The school system hasn'tprovided it for us.
So we're going to have tofigure it out.
We have to identify a couple ofways to teach and practice the
skill.
Now, manipulatives use thosemanipulatives figure out ways

(10:20):
that they can visualize it indifferent ways.
Those are some big ones forthat.
When you're trying to reteachand practice these skills and I
will say right now that justdoing daily fluency drills
without reteaching the concept.
That's not an intervention.
Just like if you're doingreading interventions.

(10:43):
If all you do is show the kidsthe sight words every single day
and you don't help them gothrough them and learn them,
you're not, you're not actuallydoing an intervention, you're
just I mean, quite frankly,you're torturing the poor
children, just showing themthings that they can't do.
We have to reteach the skillsand then help them practice with
them for it to actually be anintervention.

(11:07):
Step four is you want toidentify the items to use to
progress monitor whether you'redoing it weekly or bi-weekly.
What tasks, what skills, whatitems specifically are you going
to need, whether it's flashcards or drill sheets or
whatever it is.
Need to identify exactly whatyou're going to use to be able

(11:30):
to progress monitor, to get thatweekly or bi-weekly data so you
know if your intervention, ifyour reteaching, is working.
Number five is we have toactually follow through and
collect the data to see if it'seffective.
With math, I'll be honest, theinterventions it becomes pretty

(11:51):
obvious, pretty quick if theintervention that we're trying
is working or not, just becauseyou see it when you're doing the
practice.
I mean, the same is true withreading, but a little bit less
so.
But honestly, that data andfollowing through on the

(12:11):
collection of that data is areally good way to show all the
work that you've put in withthat student and also possibly
to advocate for moreinterventions, more
manipulatives, more things thatyou might need in your classroom
to say, hey, I'm putting in allthis work.
Here's the data to show thatwhat I'm doing is working.

(12:33):
If I can use X, y and Z, Icould do it even better.
That's one of the reasons Ialways say collect the data,
because you never know when youmight be able to use that data
for your own good and the goodof your students.
And then finally, number sixafter six to nine weeks, you

(12:56):
know the magic numbers decide ifthat goal that you've made has
been met and do you need a newgoal or do you need to revamp
and figure out.
Okay, maybe this isn't working,maybe I need to look at
prerequisite skills again andget better at that.
There's a lot of differentanswers that you know you might
be giving for that, but with thedata and all the information

(13:18):
that you will have practicedwith your student, you're going
to be able to make some reallygood decisions based on the data
that you can then back up andmaybe advocate for more things.
I don't know.
So if you're getting into forthe first time or you know,
maybe you're just starting overand you want to do you know,

(13:41):
feel more confident with it goahead and download my five steps
to progress monitoring.
It's a literally it's a step bystep guide to get started
progress monitoring.
It doesn't matter what subjectarea it can be reading, it can
be math, it could be writing.
Writing is a little bit moredifficult, but we'll get there
someday.
But you can always downloadthat.

(14:04):
It is free and you can get somemore information on how to get
started.
It's also got some data chartsin there observation things,
just literally everything.
You need to get yourselfstarted progress monitoring this
week and well, don't do it thisweek because Christmas break is
coming up, wait till January,wait till January.

(14:26):
But in January you can getstarted and you can feel
confident when you go into datachat meetings, when you talk to
parents or just when you'relooking at you know, your
students and being able tofigure out what kind of progress
they're making for the year.
In the meantime, may yourcoffee be strong, your students

(14:48):
calm and your students andeveryone else progressing Bye.