A response to intervention mathematics program for kindergarten students

This research study investigated the use of response to intervention (RTI) for mathematics in kindergarten in a rural school in the northeastern United States. RTI is a 3-tiered system of assessment and intervention for all students. The purpose of this study was to discover if Number Worlds (NW) was a valid intervention for kindergarten students. It also sought to discover if the Test of Early Numeracy (TEN) was a valid instrument for identifying students at risk and a valid instrument for progress monitoring during an RTI program. This quasi-experimental quantitative study included 1 kindergarten class as the experimental class and 2 kindergarten classes as control groups. The experimental class received 12 weeks of instruction using NW program, which served as the intervention portion of RTI. The researcher monitored the students in the test class throughout the intervention program using the TEN, as well as the weekly assessments included with NW. These tests served as the assessment portion of this RTI study. Based on the ANOVA statistical test, the results did not show a significant difference between mathematical learning of students in the 3 groups. A Pearson correlation test demonstrated that students' TEN scores and their scores on the 11 New York State kindergarten performance indicators were positively related, thereby validating the TEN as a test for identifying at-risk students. There was not a statistically significant correlation between the progress monitoring scale of the TEN and the NW assessments; thus, this instrument has low validity for monitoring student progress. This study has the potential for social change by benefiting kindergarten students who are found to be at risk for learning mathematics by providing early intervention that may prevent poor academic achievement and/or failure.