This report describes a program for improving students' comprehension of the language of mathematical problems. The targeted population consists of 5th and 6th grade multi-age students and multi-age learners with special needs at a middle school located outside a major city in a Midwestern community. Evidence for the existence of this problem…

Investigated mediators of effects of preschool intervention on children's school achievement in sixth grade. Found that preschool participation was significantly associated with higher reading achievement, higher math achievement, and with lower incidence of grade retention. Cognitive readiness and parent involvement in school significantly…

Study analyzed the written protocols of 900 elementary mathematics students from 5 achievement levels utilizing a 15-item arithmetic and problem-solving test administered in grade 3 and again in grade 6. Correct solutions resulted from similar strategies regardless of the achievement level, yet incorrect solutions ensued from many incorrect…

Many children read mathematics word problems and directly translate them to arithmetic operations. More sophisticated problem solvers transform word problems into object-based or mental models. Subsequent solutions are often qualitatively different because these models differentially support cognitive processing. Based on a conception of problem…

A modified multiple baseline across behaviors design was used to evaluate the effects of an interdependent group contingency program with randomly selected contingency components on the academic performance of an intact middle-school class serving five male students with serious emotional disturbance (SED). During the initial intervention phase,…

This project was designed to develop a combinational strategy using microcomputers and cross-aged instruction designed to: (1) increase the achievement of low-achieving sixth-grade students; (2) increase enrollment in high school mathematics and science courses; (3) evaluate microcomputers as a unique instructional tool; and (4) develop effective…

The purpose of this project was to evaluate the effectiveness of an interactive Level 1 videodisc program called "Mastering Fractions." The evaluation was conducted in two parts. Part 1 was a controlled study that compared the Mastering Fractions program to a more traditional fractions curriculum while controlling for any novelty effect of the…

This study investigated the rates of successful mathematical performance and errors of information processing in third-grade children in California and continued an investigation of these factors in sixth-grade children. The objectives were to: (1) identify areas of mathematics in which the children had recognizable strengths and weaknesses, (2)…

Error frequency and language competence of bilingual grade 6 students were analyzed to determine the effect of language comprehension in errors made in solving mathematical word problems. Results provide support for the linkage of comprehension errors to measures of language competency. (29 references) (MDH)

Describes a study that compared academic achievement indices of summer birth date seventh-ninth graders (n=45) who entered kindergarten at age five with indices of similar summer birth date children who entered at age six (n=45). All statistically significant differences favored older males and females, especially in reading for older males. (SM)

When Benjamin Banneker Charter Public School in Boston realized that their students' 2002-2003 math scores on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System fell below the target set by Massachusetts for adequate yearly progress, they saw not one problem (poor math achievement), but two. Because it was the fifth year the school had not hit AYP…

This study examined the effects of self-evaluation on student performance in mathematics. Grade 5 and 6 students (N=300) were randomly assigned in intact classes to treatment and control groups. In both conditions a 2-week cooperative learning unit on probability was implemented. In the treatment condition, students received training in…

This is a part of the Manitoba Mathematics Assessment Program 1987. Actual testing material and the manual for grade six are provided. The test (90 items) requires two 45-minute sessions. The manual describes general testing instructions, administration, scoring method and key, and format for recording the final test scores. (YP)

This study examined family beliefs and motivation as sources for the superior performance on mathematics tests by Chinese students compared with Caucasian students in the United States. Beliefs about children's performance were examined in mothers and their sixth grade children in the People's Republic of China and in Chinese-American and…

Presented is a detailed discussion of the performance pattern of third- and sixth-grade pupils in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) for the skill area of fractional numbers. The report begins with a brief and general introduction regarding minimum competencies and continues with tables showing the performance levels of non-English…