Academic Intervention

Academic Intervention Laura Lamkin

Background • Jasmine • 6th grade • Referred by teacher for problems with math • Failed first semester • May have difficulty with basic math fact knowledge, which in turn is affecting her math problem solving skills.

Background • Concerns began in 2nd grade • Difficulty with addition facts • Has not received any special interventions for math • Prefers to work with a partner during independent math work time • May be copying answers from a friend • Complains about the difficulty of her math assignments and appears sad when math work is distributed • Reportedly continues to put forth her best effort

Problem Validation Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) Wechsler Individual Achievement Test, Second Edition (WIAT-II)

Problem Validation Key Math 3

Problem Validation • Records Review • B’s and C’s in other classes • Scored in basic range on 5th grade ISTEP • Good attendance • BASC-II • School problems, study skills • Parent Interview • No developmental, medical, behavioral, social problems • Doesn’t talk to Jasmine about school • Sister helps with homework

Problem Validation • 6th Grade Teacher Interview • Behavior within normal limits • Does well in other areas • 4th and 5th Grade Teacher Interview • Had problems with math, but did well enough to avoid summer school • Problems with basic math skills and problem solving • Classroom Observations • Math and Language Arts • Math- on task 80% of time • Off task- socializing

Intervention • “Math Computation: Increase Accuracy By Intermixing Easy and Challenging Computation Problems” from Intervention Central • Uses worksheets that intersperse “easy” problems with “challenging” problems • If student completes alone– 1:1 ratio • If problems are read aloud to the student– 3:1 ratio

Research Review • Hawkins, Skinner, and Oliver (2005) • Mathematical accuracy of fifth grade students was enhanced when easy problems were interspersed with more difficult problems • Suggested that the mixture of easy and difficult problems helped to enhance the students’ feelings of success • Increases the rate of reinforcement for working on assignments

Research Review • Cates and Skinner (2000) • High school students in remedial math exposed to three pairs of mathematics computation assignments • 3 control assignments containing15 target problems • 3 paired experimental assignments containing either 15 (0% more), 18 (20% more), or 21 (40% more) equivalent target problems. • Each experimental assignment lengthened by interspersing additional problems following every 3rd target problem. • Significantly more students rated the experimental assignment more favorably for time, effort, and difficulty and chose the experimental assignment for homework

Intervention • Need to create math computation worksheets that contain a mixture of easy and challenging problems using worksheet generator • Must identify problem types Jasmine finds challenging/easy • Ex. Multiplying 2 digit by 2 digit vs. Adding one digits • Implemented by teacher’s aide • Completed daily for three weeks

Progress Monitoring • To determine baseline: • 3 multiple skills math CBM • Probe developed at Intervention Central • 2 minutes to complete • Scored for digits correct per minute • Median score used as baseline • To monitor progress: collect data twice a week for three weeks using the same probes

Goal • Improve Jasmine’s mathematical computation skills by increasing her accuracy and to improve her attitude towards the work itself • Increase digits correct per minute by one digit per week

First Phase

Intervention Modification • Change intervention from independent worksheet to working with teacher’s aide • Ratio of challenging to easy problems changes from 1:1 to 3:1 • Continue collecting data twice a week for three weeks

Second Phase

Conclusion • Jasmine met her goal • Increased digits correct per minute by 7 digits in 6 weeks • Improvements • Should have specified which method to begin with • Used multiple skills CBM • Perhaps should have limited this to multiplication and division since these were her problem areas

References • Cates, G.L., & Skinner, C.H. (2000). Getting remedial mathematics students to prefer homework with 20% and 40% more problems: An investigation of the strength of the interspersing procedure. Psychology in the Schools, 37(4), 339-347. • Hawkins, J., Skinner, C. H., & Oliver, R. (2005). The effects of task demands and additive interspersal ratios on fifth- grade students' mathematics accuracy. School Psychology Review, 34, 543-555.

Academic Intervention