Fractions are known to be difficult to learn and difficult to teach, yet they are vital for students to have access to further mathematical concepts. This article uses evidence to support teachers employing teaching methods that focus on the conceptual understanding of the magnitude of fractions.

Although approximately 5-8% of students have a mathematical learning disability (MLD), researchers have yet to develop a consensus operational definition. To examine how MLD has been identified and what mathematics topics have been explored, the authors conducted a systematic review of 165 studies on MLD published between 1974 and 2013. To move…

The 2013 study, "Does Working Memory Moderate the Effects of Fraction Intervention? An Aptitude-Treatment Interaction," examined the impacts of the fluency and conceptual versions of "Fraction Face-Off!," a math instruction program designed to improve knowledge of fractions and decimals in fourth-graders at risk for low…

This study investigated whether individual differences in working memory (WM) moderate effects of 2 variations of intervention designed to improve at-risk 4th graders' fraction knowledge. We also examined the effects of each intervention condition against a business-as-usual control group and assessed whether children's measurement interpretation…

This study investigated whether individual differences in working memory (WM) moderate effects of 2 variations of intervention designed to improve at-risk 4th graders' fraction knowledge. We also examined the effects of each intervention condition against a business-as-usual control group and assessed whether children's measurement interpretation…

The purposes of this study were to investigate the effects of an intervention designed to improve at-risk 4th graders' understanding of fractions and to examine the processes by which effects occurred. The intervention focused more on the measurement interpretation of fractions; the control condition focused more on the part-whole interpretation…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of 1st-grade number knowledge tutoring with contrasting forms of practice. Tutoring occurred 3 times per week for 16 weeks. In each 30-min session, the major emphasis (25 min) was number knowledge; the other 5 min provided practice in 1 of 2 forms. Nonspeeded practice reinforced relations…

The purpose of this study was to examine the cognitive predictors of calculations and number line estimation with whole numbers and fractions. At-risk 4th-grade students (N = 139) were assessed on 6 domain-general abilities (i.e., working memory, processing speed, concept formation, language, attentive behavior, and nonverbal reasoning) and…

The purpose of this study was to assess the relative contribution of teacher and tutor ratings of inattentive behavior in two different instructional settings in predicting students' performance on fraction concepts and whole-number calculations. Classroom teachers rated each student's attentive behavior in a whole-class setting and tutors rated…

Measures of visual-motor integration skills continue to be widely used in psychological assessments with children. However, the construct validity of many visual-motor integration measures remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the relative contributions of maturation and cognitive skills to the development of visual-motor integration…

The Slosson-Diagnostic Math Screener (S-DMS) was designed to help identify students in Grades 1 to 8 at risk for mathematics failure. Internal consistency, test-retest reliability, item analysis, decision efficiency, convergent validity, and factorial validity of all five levels of the S-DMS were studied using 20 independent samples of students…

A comparison of the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT) and the Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT) indicates that the two should be used interchangeably only with caution and understanding of the differences. While there is a moderate to high correlation between the test scores, nevertheless, the two have distinctly different strengths and…

The article presents a statistical and descriptive comparison, with emphasis on math subtests, of the Wide Range Achievement Test and the Peabody Individual Achievement Test, based on scores obtained from clients (in grades 1-12) at a university-affiliated learning disabilities center. (SBH)

A comparison was made of the results of two locator tests, the Zip Test (ZT) and the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT), which were administered to 37 black migrant and resident pupils. The children were tested twice with each test: in early September and eight weeks after in November. Twenty-three children were taught by the Inquiry Method…