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Article Excerpt
Abstract. Success in high school algebra is gaining increased importance for all students, including those identified as having learning disabilities (LD). Despite its importance, we know little about what students with and without LD say about their algebra classes. This study examined findings from a survey of 410 general education students and 46 peers with LD. The survey established data relative to the participants' favorite and least favorite classes, most difficult (and best) parts of algebra class, and ideas for helping more students to succeed. In addition, student participants reported whether selected interventions and accommodations were helpful.
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Success in high school algebra is becoming increasingly important for today's students. Some authorities suggest that algebra serves a gatekeeper function to entry into postsecondary education (Chambers, 1994; Moses & Cobb, 2001). Their thinking is that high school students must succeed in algebra to gain the knowledge and skills necessary for entry into most colleges. A number of national reports also stress the need for public schools to make progress in helping students to attain higher-level math skills (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2001; Woodward & Montague, 2002). Other reports argue for the importance of algebra skills in today's labor market, especially well-paying jobs and those offering benefits (see Forgione, 1999). In addition, many states require students to pass competency tests containing algebraic problems or algebra classes to obtain a standard high school diploma.
In combination, these various considerations call for increased skills in algebra for all students, with particular attention directed at those planning to pursue a postsecondary education or obtaining a well-paying job. Finally, lack of success in or even access to algebra may be part of the explanation for the low rate of postsecondary schooling among former special education students, including youths with learning disabilities (LD). As shown in several national or regional studies, youth with LD pursue postsecondary schooling at a rate that is half that of their general education peers (Horn, Berktold, & Bobbitt, 1999; Murray, Goldstein, Nourse, & Edgar, 2000).
Almost one of every three youths with LD fail general education high school courses (Blackorby & Wagner, 1997). Specifically in math, secondary teachers have noted that many of these students experience considerable difficulty (Miles & Forcht, 1995; Miller & Mercer, 1997). Adolescents with LD have difficulty with problem application and generally perform at a fifth-grade level in math; put another way, the average 17-year-old is functioning at a math level expected for the average 10-year-old student without a disability (Cawley & Miller, 1989). Given this performance level, it is not surprising that only 12% of students with mild disabilities take advanced math classes (algebra, geometry, calculus, and trigonometry) (Wagner & Blackorby, 1996).
If algebra classes are critical to success in postsecondary educational settings and well-paying jobs, their role as a gatekeeper makes sense. Thus, youth who fail to access or succeed in algebra are likely to fail to get an education beyond that of high school and be unqualified for many well-paying jobs. If true, this scenario suggests that special educators must work in concert with general educators to deploy interventions that help more youth with LD gain access to and succeed in high school algebra classes.
Researchers recently have shown that specific interventions can promote success in high school algebra classes. For instance, Bottge and his colleagues (Bottge, Heinrichs, Chan, & Serlin, 2001; Bottege, Heinrichs, Mehta, & Hung, 2001) used enhanced anchor instruction to improve the problem-solving and computational skills of small groups of adolescents with disabilities. Their studies have focused on delivering an intervention based on authentic instruction, characterized by having students construct knowledge, deploy disciplined inquiry skills, and work with knowledge that has value beyond school (i.e., real-world implications). Maccini and Hughes (2000) showed that a group of students could learn and then independently deploy a problem-solving strategy involving integer numbers. In this study students moved through concrete operations involving manipulating physical objects, semiconcrete operations like drawing pictorial representations, and eventually abstract applications like writing mathematical symbols to solve algebraic problems. Finally, Allsopp (1997) demonstrated that classwide peer tutoring for general education low-achieving students and peers with LD could be effective. This intervention used trained peer tutors to provide additional support and instruction for low-achieving students.
Earlier research also supports the idea that specific interventions can facilitate student success in algebra. For example, Hutchinson (1993) used strategy instruction to help students solve algebraic word problems with whole numbers. The strategy promoted success by providing a context for learning a specific strategy to solve algebra problems. Gersten and Kelly (1992) investigated the effects of a math curriculum involving features of instructional design versus a basal curriculum for teaching fraction concepts to adolescents with LD and peers at risk of school failure. The instructional design curriculum included videodisc instruction for teaching key concepts. Results showed that such an intervention could yield positive results for both groups of students. In combination, the current and earlier studies suggest that youth with LD can benefit from specific learning strategies, a presentation of algebra with real-world applications, and additional peer support.
Present Study
This study sought to add to the existing knowledge base on how best to help youth with LD to succeed in algebra by offering insight into their perceptions of algebra class. The perceptions of students as consumers of services remain noticeably absent from the existing research. Yet, their views may provide important insight into why some interventions work and how best to tailor new interventions to help more youth to succeed. For instance, it may yield insight into why specific strategies or features prove effective in helping youth to understand algebra or motivate them to be more successful. Such insight may also set the stage for further research on how best to foster success in algebra classes.
The specific questions for this study were as follows:
1. What has been your favorite and least favorite high school class?
2. What has been the best and most difficult part of algebra class?
3. How can we help students to be more successful with the work, quizzes, or tests?
4. What is the most important thing we could do to improve student performance in algebra?
In addition, we asked participants to indicate (yes or no) whether specific interventions or accommodations, identified by the algebra teachers as a group, would help them to do better in their algebra class.
The specific interventions included the following: peer or senior tutors, group or pair activities, graduate student from a nearby university as a class assistant, daily candy incentives, music store incentives (gift certificates for a B or better average or an improvement of one or more letter grades...
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