Starting support early enough and targeting it appropriately requires knowledge of the child’s skills and an understanding of the factors affecting their learning (Ramey & Ramey, 2004). As noted above, difficulties in mathematics can manifest in different skills in children. In some areas, learning may progress according to age expectations, while in other areas, there may be a clear need for support. Properly targeted support requires not only an understanding of how mathematical sub-skills build upon one another (hierarchical development) but also an understanding of the child’s distinct nature, which may result in their mathematical skill profile being uneven.

Difficulties often become apparent through observations of the child’s daily life at school or at home; however, it is also important to use valid assessment tools to identify the need for support. Regular assessments of basic skills for the entire age group help track how the learning of key skills progresses and how permanent the learning outcomes are. This type of assessment complements the information provided by school tests about mastery of the content being practiced. Reference data from assessment tools show how the child performs in relation to age or grade-level expectations. This information helps identify children whose skills need to be supported and monitored more closely and provides clues as to where to begin interventions.

Multilevel support models developed in several countries (e.g., the Response-to-Intervention model (RTI) in the USA) involve adjusting the amount, content, and intensity of support based on the learner’s needs. Therefore, these models combine tiered instruction with ongoing assessment of skill development. Monitoring students’ responses to support helps identify those not making adequate progress and who may require more targeted and intensive intervention (Fuchs & Fuchs, 2006). Within the RTI framework, mathematical learning difficulties are identified through systematic screening and continuous progress monitoring. Students’ responses to increasingly intensive levels of instruction are evaluated to determine whether poor achievement reflects inadequate learning opportunities or persistent learning difficulties that require more targeted support (Fuchs & Fuchs, 2006).

Assessment of mathematical skills should be viewed as an ongoing process that is closely integrated with instructional support. The process involves identifying students who require support, conducting more detailed assessments to develop a deeper understanding of each child’s strengths and weaknesses across different mathematical subskills, providing targeted intervention, monitoring progress over time, and, when necessary, adjusting the support and conducting more comprehensive assessments.

When assessing learning, it is also important to consider children’s emotions and motivations (Eccles & Wigfield, 2002). It is important to observe and listen to whether the child is interested in mathematics, whether they see learning it as important, whether mathematics evokes negative emotions that hinder learning, and whether the child trusts their ability to learn mathematics. Additionally, it is useful to assess which factors in the child’s environment support or interfere with learning.

References

Eccles, J. S., & Wigfield, A. (2002). Motivational Beliefs, Values, and Goals. Annual review of psychology, 53(1), 109-132. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.53.100901.135153

Fuchs, L. S., & Fuchs, D. (2006). A Framework for Building Capacity for Responsiveness to Intervention. School Psychology Review, 35(4), 621–626. https://doi.org/10.1080/02796015.2006.12087966

Ramey, C. T., & Ramey, S. L. (2004). Early Learning and School Readiness: Can Early Intervention Make a Difference? Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 50(4), 471-491. https://doi.org/10.1353/mpq.2004.0034