Automaticity in math facts has been of considerable interest to special educators for decades. A review of the intervention literature suggests at least two common approaches to developing automaticity in facts. One is grounded in the use of strategies for teaching facts, the other emphasizes the use of timed practice drills. Recent research indicates that students might benefit from an integration of these two approaches. This experimental study contrasted an integrated approach (i.e., strategies and timed practice drills) with timed practice drills only for teaching multiplication facts. Participants were 58 fourth-grade students with a range of academic abilities. Fifteen of the students in the study had IEPs in math. Results indicated that both approaches were effective in helping students achieve automaticity in multiplication facts. However, students in the integrated approach generally performed better on posttest and maintenance test measures that assessed the application of facts to extended facts and approximation tasks. These results have implications for teaching a range of skills and concepts that are considered important to overall mathematical competence in the elementary grades.

The purpose of this article was to examine the sustained effort to reform K through 12 mathematics instruction in this country over the last 10 years and the implications of this reform for students with learning disabilities. We begin by describing three forces that have driven mathematics reform: shifting theoretical paradigms, disappointing levels of mathematics performance of students in the United States, and the impact of rapidly changing technologies. We then discuss concerns about this reform from the special education community. In the second half of the article, we provide synthesized special education research relevant to mathematics reform, along with thoughts about future directions in mathematics education for students with learning disabilities.

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Because of immigration pressures, the classrooms of many teachers include students from language-minority groups; these teachers often turn to special education for assistance. This article examines key issues and tensions in the areas of referral and special education instruction for these students. Potential solutions derive from two sources: first, the increasing consensus regarding effective approaches to bilingual education; second, the growing belief that these students need both systematic instruction in academic skills and a more “natural” approach to language to promote comprehension and use of English. The article discusses the collaborations needed in the fields of learning disabilities, bilingual education, and special education.