Rene S. Parmar

Word Problem-Solving by Students with and without Mild Disabilities

Performance on mathematics word problems having varying structures was compared for Grade 3–8 students with and without mild disabilities. Students with disabilities performed at significantly lower levels than did those without disabilities in four types of word problems, even when the problems involved only single-digit computation. Significant effects were also evident for grade and operation (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division). The findings highlight the need for math instruction to move from a focus on computation to problem-solving activities, including word problems of varying structures. Further, test developers must make more effort to present a variety of reasoning and problem-solving activities in standardized tests.

Arithmetic Performance of Students: Implications for Standards and Programming:

This article presents a description of the arithmetic performance of students with mild disabilities and general education students and discusses these data in terms of student achievement and its implications for standards and programming. The data were obtained across grade levels 3–8 on 937 general education students and 197 students with mild disabilities. The data are discussed in terms of selected mathematics standards (e.g., Principles and Standards of School Mathematics NCTM, 2000) and Public Law 105–17, the amendments to IDEA. The latter assure that students with disabilities have access to and make progress in the general education curriculum.

Investigations Into the Relationship Between Science and Language Abilities of Students with Mild Disabilities

This paper presents three studies of learning in science using language-based measures. In study 1, students with disabilities read at approximately half the rate of students without disabilities on third-grade level story and science passages. Reading fluency in science lagged far behind story reading. Study 2 consisted of presenting students with disabilities with four increasingly difficult passages on matter followed by comprehension questions. There was no relationship between reading fluency and comprehension. Students did not differ in ability to answer factual and inferential questions. In study 3, a significant difference was found between students with and without disabilities in listening and reading formats of a vocabulary measure. For the former, listening scores were significantly higher than reading. Together, the studies indicate that students with disabilities will not learn effectively in science if instruction is primarily language based.

Preparing Teachers to Teach Mathematics to Students with Learning Disabilities

The purpose of this article is to put forth a discussion of teacher preparation in mathematics in a manner that recognizes the Professional Standards of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the Knowledge and Skills Competencies list for teachers of students with learning disabilities compiled by the Division for Learning Disabilities.

Challenging the Routines and Passivity That Characterize Arithmetic Instruction for Children with Mild Handicaps

This article challenges the notion that rote practice in arithmetic computation should be the focus of instruction for children with mild handicaps in mathematics. Students were presented with worksheets containing two sample computation items and explored the characteristics of each item with the examiner. Students were then instructed to create items like the ones in the sample and answer them. Emphasis was on student production based on an understanding of the structure of the computation items. The performance of approximately 30 normally achieving students in Grades 3 through 6 was compared with that of grade-matched peers with mild handicaps. The results of the study indicate that students with mild handicaps are capable of understanding the characteristics of items well enough to create like items, though averaging 3 years behind their normally achieving peers. Of the items created by students in both groups, high percentages correct were evident. Neither normally achieving students nor students with mild handicaps engaged in mechanical repetition of items. A sample instructional activity is described at the end of the article.

LITERACY PROFICIENCY AND SCIENCE FOR STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES

The purpose of this article is to describe program alternatives in science for students with learning disabilities and their implications for reading and writing. We review opportunity to learn, the science performance of students with learning disabilities, science textbook instruction, literacy and science, and alternatives to reading-dependent science programs. Finally, we present an alternative framework for science and literacy as related to students with learning disabilities. The proposed alternative emphasizes the teaching of science with only minimal dependency on literacy skills and processes. In addition, we recommend the integration of the teaching of literacy skills and processes into the content of science after the science has been learned.The purpose of this article is to describe program alternatives in science for students with learning disabilities and their implications for reading and writing. We review opportunity to learn, the science performance of students with learning disabilities, science textbook instruction, literacy and science, and alternatives to reading-dependent science programs. Finally, we present an alternative framework for science and literacy as related to students with learning disabilities. The proposed alternative emphasizes the teaching of science with only minimal dependency on literacy skills and processes. In addition, we recommend the integration of the teaching of literacy skills and processes into the content of science after the science has been learned.

Differences in Mathematics Performance between Students with Learning Disabilities and Students with Mild Retardation

Many educators use the term “mildly disabled” to refer to both students with learning disabilities and those with mild mental retardation, who are frequently placed together in classrooms and provided with similar curricula. This study examined the performance of a large sample of students in both groups, age 8–14 years, in four mathematics domains: Basic Concepts, Listening Vocabulary, Problem Solving, and Fractions. Results indicated that the students with learning disabilities scored higher and had greater growth rates than did age-equivalent students with mild mental retardation. Implications for curriculum and instruction include discussions of choice of topic and timing, sequence, and intensity of instruction, particularly regarding the 1989 recommendations of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Mathematics Assessment for Students with Mild Disabilities: An Exploration of Content Validity.

This article examines the content validity of selected standardized tests of mathematics achievement as it pertains to students with disabilities. Psychometricians have traditionally focused their analyses of standardized tests on technical aspects. The present paper focuses on content from the perspective of educators who are the primary consumers of test results. Therefore, our analyses are directed towards relating existing tests to curricula and instructional approaches. The Assessment Standards presented by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics are used as a framework with which to evaluate the appropriateness and adequacy of assessment instruments. Problems with content validity of the tests are identified, including inadequate representation of content domains, inappropriate sequencing and placement of items, inappropriate use of age and grade-equivalent scores, and incorrect descriptor assigned to items.

Issues in Mathematics Curriculum for Handicapped Students

A s part of the continuing evolution of high quality programs in mathematics, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics has produced a set of Curriculum and Evaluation Standards (NCTM, 1989). Within the many fine recommendations and illustrations for improving the quality of mathematics for all children, four items stand out as having particular relevance to mildly handicapped children. These are:

Structuring Word Problems for Diagnostic Teaching: Helping Teachers Meet the Needs of Children with Mild Disabilities.

O the past 40 years, research in solving word problems (e.g., Cawley, Miller, & School, 1987; Englert, Culatta, & Horn, 1987), has shown consistently that children with mild developmental disabilities (Cawley & Goodman, 1969) or students with learning disabilities (Cawley et al., 1987) have difficulty with arithmetic word problems in general and with those that contain extraneous information or are of a nontraditional type in particular. One study (Goodstein, Bessant, Thibodeau, Vitello, & Vlahakos, 1971) attributed the difficulty with problems containing extraneous information to the computation rules that are emphasized in school. For example, children with mild disabilities are often taught to add when they see three or more numbers in it problem. The result is that they add all the numbers and fail to discard extraneous information contained in the problem.