Teaching to the Standards: MathA Literacy-Based Approach for Students with

Moderate and Severe Disabilities

by Katherine Trela, PhD, Bree Jimenez, MS& Diane Browder, PhD

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Why Teach Math?

• Math Around Us• Historically taught Daily

Living Skills in Real-Life Applications

• IDEA (2004) and NCLB (2001)– increased expectations

NCLB

• Target might be alternate achievement in some states (extended standards)

• Teams determine what the student will learn and how to teach it

What Makes Math Difficult for Some Students

• Communication challenges– Math requires reading, writing, discussing

• Strategy deficiencies– Not being able to perform basic operations

• Lack of past instruction– Focus only on functional math like money

• Memory challenges– Math facts, math concepts

Solution: Collaborate with Those Who Know

• Collaborate with math and science teachers• Study state and national web sites on

curriculum content• Review standards for grade level• Review textbooks• Attend professional development in the

content area

What to Teach?

Teaching to the Standard: Promoting the learning of math skills that link

to the standards of the student’s assigned grade level

Which Standards?

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)

• Numbers and operations• Measurement• Data analysis and probability• Geometry• Algebra

Full Inclusion (IDEA) and Access to the Curriculum (NCLB)

• General educator guides what is taught• Special educator guides how to support access

to that instruction

Collaboration Is Key

Literature Review Categories for Math68 experiments (65 articles)

37 36

2 2

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5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Numbers andoperations

Measurement Data analysis Geometry Algebra

2

Browder, D., Spooner, F., Ahlgrim-Delzell, L., Harris, A., & Wakeman, S. (in press). A comprehensive review of research to teach math to students with significant cognitive disabilities. Exceptional Children.

Evidence-Based Procedures

• Systematic instruction • Task analysis• Application in real-life settings• Concrete materials (graphic organizers and

manipulatives) to bridge to abstract concepts

Determine the Content with General Educators

Task AnalysisAnalyze the steps to solve the math problem

StoryWrite a story for the math problem

Concrete ManipulativesCreate a “graphic organizer” and/or other manipulatives to learn the math operation

Template for Teaching to Math Standards

• Assistive TechnologyDevelop student response board or select AAC device to ensure student participation

• Teach and Monitor ProgressTeach the task analysis using systematic prompting and feedback until student masters

Math Lessons

• Five Lesson Plans per unit• 2 stories per lesson• Same task analysis but different levels of

support• 6 Enrichment Challenges per unit• Monitoring Progress page

StandardBroaden Use of the Coordinate PlaneExpand Spatial Reasoning

Algebra Standard

Perform operations with numbers and expressions to solve problems

Use formulas and algebraic expressions to model and solve problems

(learn to use symbols and that X is an unknown)

Data Analysis Standard

Understand and use graphs and data to solve problems

Use representations to model and interpret physical, social, and mathematical phenomena

Measurement Standard

Perform operations with numbers and expressions to solve problems

Challenge Activities

• Includes extension activities for more learning to create opportunities for students to use the new skills in their lives

Monitoring Progress

Key Features• Designed specifically for students with mod to

severe disabilities at middle to high school level

• Accommodates students who are verbal or nonverbal

• Embeds evidence-based practices• Uses stories to make connection between

math and real life• Teach in gen ed or in resource room

Teaching to Standards: Math

Examples for middle and high school conceptsTeach all or some One year to complete in pilot study (students

with autism and mod and severe intellectual disabilities )

Teaching to Standards: Math

For the InstructorInstructors Guide Story Map Posters (11)CD-ROM with PDFs for creating manipulativesTraining DVD

For the StudentsMathWork bookCounting chipsDollar bills