Most American Schools Not Prepared to Identify Math Disabilities
2023-10-29
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1Many American education experts are concerned about students' performance in the subject of mathematics.
2Scores on standardized tests are falling, students are having trouble learning high-level math in college and some teachers do not feel prepared to teach math to young people.
3Laura Jackson's daughter was nine years old when she discovered that she was having a learning problem that her school was not prepared to deal with.
4Jackson said she started to worry about her daughter when she was having problems with math in third grade.
5She said other students had no trouble doing multiplication problems, but her daughter still used her fingers to count.
6At that point, the girl asked her mother if she was "stupid."
7She was still having trouble with math although she had been working with a special math teacher.
8Then Jackson heard about a learning problem from a friend.
9It is called dyscalculia.
10She looked up the learning disability and found that the learning problem prevents children from understanding numbers and learning math.
11"I was like, 'Oh my gosh, this is my kid'," Jackson said.
12Around the U.S., hundreds of thousands of students might have a math-learning problem such as dyscalculia.
13However, most schools are not prepared to deal with the condition.
14Schools are getting better at discovering learning problems.
15States passed laws that require testing young students for problems such as dyslexia, a common reading disability.
16But schools are not yet required to test for problems with numbers.
17One study, published by the National Library of Medicine in 2019, said between three and seven percent of the population has dyscalculia.
18Karen Wilson is a neuropsychologist who tests children for learning problems.
19"There's not as much research on math disorders," when compared to reading problems, she said.
20Math test scores have been decreasing in the U.S. for years, but the numbers got worse after the COVID-19 pandemic changed the way students learned.
21Few teachers say anyone has tested their students for dyscalculia.
22Education experts say the kind of slow and repetitive math teaching that helps students with dyscalculia might also help other students.
23Sandra Elliott currently works for TouchMath, an education company that sells a math teaching program.
24She used to be a special education teacher.
25She said schools that change their teaching to help students who have "severe disconnections and slower processing speeds," will also help other students get better at math.
26Some schools, such as the one Jackson's daughter attended, do not always believe students have a serious math learning problem when they do well in other subjects.
27Jackson researched dyscalculia on her own and decided to write a book about her family's problems.
28She found many schools do not know about the problem.
29She said parents think schools will let them know if their child is having trouble, "but that's just not how it works."
30Lynn Fuchs is a professor in special education and human development at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee.
31She said students with math learning problems need "systematic and explicit" teaching.
32That means they need math teachers who have learned how to help students who have a math disability.
33Most do not have enough training.
34For example, some states require teachers to get dyslexia awareness training in order to renew their teaching permit.
35But no such requirement exists for dyscalculia.
36Amelia Malone is a director at the National Center for Learning Disabilities.
37She said there are not enough high-level degrees in education that center on math learning disabilities "with any level of...depth, quality or rigor."
38In addition, most schools do not have specialists who can work with math learning problems.
39Jackson said she took it upon herself to learn how to teach students with dyscalculia and started giving her daughter extra help.
40In New York City, some schools do look for math problems among their students.
41In 2015 and 2016, the city spent $6 million to introduce a math program with games, art projects and songs.
42However, most school systems do not do that.
43Some education experts say students, such as Jackson's daughter, could improve if schools used different methods to teach math to young people.
44These could include games, wooden blocks, body motions and songs.
45After spending time working with her daughter, Jackson said the girl returned to classes and as her education continued, she started getting good grades in Algebra.
46She said students need to understand they are not "bad at math."
47They need help learning and can then succeed in the subject.
48I'm Dan Friedell. And I'm Gena Bennett.
1Many American education experts are concerned about students' performance in the subject of mathematics. 2Scores on standardized tests are falling, students are having trouble learning high-level math in college and some teachers do not feel prepared to teach math to young people. 3Laura Jackson's daughter was nine years old when she discovered that she was having a learning problem that her school was not prepared to deal with. 4Jackson said she started to worry about her daughter when she was having problems with math in third grade. She said other students had no trouble doing multiplication problems, but her daughter still used her fingers to count. 5Discovering dyscalculia 6At that point, the girl asked her mother if she was "stupid." She was still having trouble with math although she had been working with a special math teacher. 7Then Jackson heard about a learning problem from a friend. It is called dyscalculia. She looked up the learning disability and found that the learning problem prevents children from understanding numbers and learning math. 8"I was like, 'Oh my gosh, this is my kid'," Jackson said. 9Around the U.S., hundreds of thousands of students might have a math-learning problem such as dyscalculia. However, most schools are not prepared to deal with the condition. 10Easier to find reading problems 11Schools are getting better at discovering learning problems. States passed laws that require testing young students for problems such as dyslexia, a common reading disability. But schools are not yet required to test for problems with numbers. One study, published by the National Library of Medicine in 2019, said between three and seven percent of the population has dyscalculia. 12Karen Wilson is a neuropsychologist who tests children for learning problems. "There's not as much research on math disorders," when compared to reading problems, she said. 13Math test scores have been decreasing in the U.S. for years, but the numbers got worse after the COVID-19 pandemic changed the way students learned. Few teachers say anyone has tested their students for dyscalculia. 14Education experts say the kind of slow and repetitive math teaching that helps students with dyscalculia might also help other students. 15Sandra Elliott currently works for TouchMath, an education company that sells a math teaching program. She used to be a special education teacher. She said schools that change their teaching to help students who have "severe disconnections and slower processing speeds," will also help other students get better at math. 16Some schools, such as the one Jackson's daughter attended, do not always believe students have a serious math learning problem when they do well in other subjects. 17Jackson researched dyscalculia on her own and decided to write a book about her family's problems. She found many schools do not know about the problem. 18She said parents think schools will let them know if their child is having trouble, "but that's just not how it works." 19How to help students 20Lynn Fuchs is a professor in special education and human development at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee. She said students with math learning problems need "systematic and explicit" teaching. That means they need math teachers who have learned how to help students who have a math disability. Most do not have enough training. For example, some states require teachers to get dyslexia awareness training in order to renew their teaching permit. But no such requirement exists for dyscalculia. 21Amelia Malone is a director at the National Center for Learning Disabilities. She said there are not enough high-level degrees in education that center on math learning disabilities "with any level of...depth, quality or rigor." 22In addition, most schools do not have specialists who can work with math learning problems. Jackson said she took it upon herself to learn how to teach students with dyscalculia and started giving her daughter extra help. 23In New York City, some schools do look for math problems among their students. In 2015 and 2016, the city spent $6 million to introduce a math program with games, art projects and songs. However, most school systems do not do that. 24Some education experts say students, such as Jackson's daughter, could improve if schools used different methods to teach math to young people. These could include games, wooden blocks, body motions and songs. 25After spending time working with her daughter, Jackson said the girl returned to classes and as her education continued, she started getting good grades in Algebra. 26She said students need to understand they are not "bad at math." They need help learning and can then succeed in the subject. 27I'm Dan Friedell. And I'm Gena Bennett. 28Dan Friedell adapted this piece for Learning English based on story by the Hechinger Report and republished by the Associated Press. 29_________________________________________________ 30Words in This Story 31standardized test -n. a test that is the same for everyone which aims to measure a student's ability in one or more subjects 32multiplication -n. repeated addition of a number by one or more other numbers or values 33gosh -interjection an expression of surprise 34systematic -adj. a method that follows a system and is not disordered or impossible to explain 35explicit -adj. clearly stated; openly shown 36rigor -n. a quality of being exact, strict and careful 37We want to hear from you. Do schools where you live test students for math learning problems?