1 SPED 408/ EBP Comparison/Jackson EBP Comparison Math fluency is a skill that is heavily worked on and practiced in elementary skills. At a young age, students are exposed to math facts and are offered models, practice, patterns, and strategies in order to build automaticity in basic math facts so that the student can move on to more advanced mathematics and use their knowledge of basic math facts to solve problems. However, in many cases, students have a difficult time creating automaticity of their math facts and educators are left to provide intervention practices to remedy the skill deficit. Educators use evidence-based practices in their classrooms to help aid students in mastering content. One evidence-based practice used for math computation/fluency is the cover-copy-compare method. Another evidence-based practice used is drill and practice. Cover-copy-compare is an attractive practice to educators because there is a minimal cost to implementing it. This method can be applied to many subjects, but it has been proven to show growth in math computation when used on general education students as well as special education students. Teachers have the freedom to create their own material that fits the method, as well as the need of the student. The student will get a worksheet that has a designated number of math facts on it, then the student will fold the paper to cover the provided math fact and perform the same math fact. Teachers can enhance this method by providing students will the opportunity to self-monitor and track their progress on mastery of the math facts. Teachers can also add another column that adds in a word problem using the same math fact to see if the student is able to transfer the skill into a real-world situation. This evidence-based practice has shown to enhance math fluency and accuracy across general education and special education students. A meta-analysis showed improvement in math SPED 408/ EBP Comparison/Jackson 2 performance when coupled with other strategies. I think this method has value but should not be the only method used in the effort to increase math fluency. The drill and practice method has a lot of flexibility in the ways it can be used. It may be.a paper and pencil, or computerized drill, include modeling, practice, frequent administration, brief timed practice, and self-monitoring. The evidence-based practice is best used for students struggling with basic math facts, especially those with limited automaticity. This is a traditional method used my educators possibly without them realizing it. This can be low cost if using paper and pencil timed multiplication tests often seen in elementary school classrooms. There are also various computerized program that use this method to provide direct feedback to the student and require them to fix their mistakes before moving on to the next level. The costs of this vary, there are some free resources that utilize this method on the internet as well. This method can easily be integrated into the classroom setting because it is intended to be brief. It will also help students set goals because they are able to self-monitor their progress. Research showed that computer versions on this method have improved math fact retrieval in all students. It also promotes efficient pairing or problems to correct answers. A connection was also discovered between math fact rehearsal and increased fact retention and generalization. The two evidence-based practices have both strengths and weaknesses. They both can be low cost depending on the materials chosen to use. Copy-Cover-Compare relies on student’s short-term memory to build automaticity in their math facts while Drill and Practice relies on repetition to increase math fact retention. I feel that both of these evidence-based practices have a place in a math classroom, but they should not be the sole program used to help student understand their math facts. Both methods put a band-aid on what could be a bigger problem in SPED 408/ EBP Comparison/Jackson their mathematical understanding of patterns and problem solving. However, both methods attempt to offer access to the material so that students can move on to more advanced mathematics. 3 4 SPED 408/ EBP Comparison/Jackson References Konrad, M., PhD., & Joseph, L. M., PhD. (2014). Cover-copy-compare: A method for enhancing evidence-based instruction. Intervention in School and Clinic, 49(4), 203. doi:http://0dx.doi.org.leopac.ulv.edu/10.1177/1053451213509484. Woodward, J. (2006). Developing automaticity in multiplication facts: Integrating strategy instruction with timed practice drills. Learning Disability Quarterly, 29(4), 269-289. Retrieved from http://0search.proquest.com.leopac.ulv.edu/docview/61930102?accountid=25355.
