What effect will a mathematics intervention have on 7th grade students' achievement solving equations?

Abstract

The adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) came many high expectations including the CCSS offering a "foundation for the development of more rigorous, focused, and coherent mathematics curricula" (NCTM, 2016, para 1). The following study focuses on an intervention to investigate a specific differentiated instruction strategy to use in a mathematics inclusive classroom to increase student achievement. More specifically the intervention includes two strategies to solve equations (1) algebraic method and (2) hands-on method. The data showed that the intervention provided improvements to student achievement when solving equations in a 7th grade mathematics classroom. Another finding indicated that more students felt comfortable solving equations using the algebraic method. Future research can focus in a different setting to further investigate the differentiated instructional strategies from the study. [from author's abstract]