Program Overview

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EDMA311 - Intervention in Numeracy

Unit Rationale, Description, and Aim

In school education, numeracy is a fundamental component of learning, performance, discourse, and critique across all areas of the curriculum. Within a classroom setting, there are varied mathematical capabilities. Classroom teachers are required to use data to identify student needs, provide mathematical learning experiences that are targeted, and promote student growth.

In this unit, pre-service teachers will further develop an understanding of the intervention approaches used to improve students' performance in mathematics and gain further understanding of Mathematics education learning trajectories/progressions. This will include developing skills in:

• Creating number-based assessment tasks to identify individual needs of learners
• Implementing data analysis strategies to support individual student needs to develop the support tasks for the students

An emphasis on tiered intervention (Response to Intervention (RTI)) will allow you to develop approaches that are based on data, include monitoring and assessment, and allow teachers to develop implementation of targeted intervention strategies.

The aim of this unit is to ensure pre-service teachers possess the knowledge and skills to improve learning in Number and Algebra.

Campus Offering

The unit is offered at the following campuses:

• Online
• Strathfield

Prerequisites

• EDMA290 Mathematics Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment 1 (B-12)
• OR EDMA299 Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment in Mathematics Education 1

Learning Outcomes

To successfully complete this unit, you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes detailed in the following table:

1. Develop Number and Algebra education assessment tasks aligned with curriculum and learning progressions
2. Interpret evidence-based mathematics education learning trajectories/progressions aligned with the Mathematics Australian Curriculum with a focus on Number and Algebra
3. Analyse and situate student learning within a relevant learning trajectory/progressions
4. Compose a series of targeted number tasks for a specific group of learners based on their data
5. Compose reports for parents/carers about student needs

Content

Topics will include:

• Strategies to identify individual student needs, including assessment task design, in mathematics education including Response to Intervention
• Process for developing implementation of:
  • Whole-class instruction (Response to Intervention: tier one intervention) that supports all students
  • Targeted learning for similar groups of students (Response to Intervention: tier two intervention) that supports students in small group settings
  • Intensive teaching and comprehensive evaluation (Response to Intervention: tier three intervention) that supports individual students
• Practices to track and monitor student progress against evidence-based trajectories/progressions
• Differentiation of curriculum content, teaching, and learning strategies to plan instructional tasks for students
• Methods of effective communicating with families, including strategies that families can use to support the students

Assessment Strategy and Rationale

The assessment tasks and their weightings are designed to allow you to progressively demonstrate achievement against the course learning outcomes by demonstrating your attainment of academic and professional standards.

The assessment tasks are sequenced to allow feedback and progressive development. By completing Task 1, pre-service teachers will demonstrate their knowledge of assessment task design. It is an early low-weighted assessment task which provides feedback to pre-service teachers within the first six weeks of the standard semester.

A range of assessment procedures are used to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes and professional standards and criteria consistent with University assessment requirements.

Overview of Assessments

1. Assessment Task 1 – Development of a formative assessment
   • Develop a series of 5 number-based assessment tasks for a year level of your choice.
   • Weighting: 15%
   • Learning Outcomes: LO1
2. Assessment Task 2 – Development, implementation, and analysis of a formative assessment
   • Develop a further 5 number tasks in response to the feedback on assessment task 1 to create a series of 10 assessment tasks for the same year level as in task 1.
   • Weighting: 35%
   • Learning Outcomes: LO1, LO2, LO3
3. Assessment Task 3 – Develop a Targeted Intervention Plan and Task Cards
   • Use the data analysis from assessment task 2 and other supplied data to:
     • Write a report to families about the student's areas of strength and areas for further development.
     • Develop a number-based Response to Intervention: Tier 2 targeted intervention plan for a group of 8 – 10 students.
   • Weighting: 50%
   • Learning Outcomes: LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5

Learning and Teaching Strategy and Rationale

This unit applies a social constructivist strategy to develop skills in supporting students in mathematics education. Pre-service teachers will have the opportunity to build on their knowledge of mathematics education, curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment, through critical reading, lecturer modeling, critical analysis of education policies and procedures, and workshop engagement.

Teaching and learning strategy may include:

• Weekly face-to-face lectures and/or online lectures (synchronous and asynchronous)
• Hands-on workshops and discussions that promote peer learning
• Self-directed reading and research

Representative Texts and References

Required Text(s)

• Australian Curriculum
• Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA)
• Australian Curriculum National Literacy and Numeracy Learning Progressions
• Relevant state and territory Mathematics curriculum documents

Recommended References

• Forbringer, L., & Fuchs, W. (2014). Rti in math: Evidence-based interventions for struggling students. New York, NY: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
• Suurtamm, C., Thompson, D., Kim, R., Moreno, L., Sayac, N., Schukajlow, S., Silver E., Ufer, S., & Vos, P. (2016). Assessment in mathematics education: Large-scale assessment and classroom assessment. ICME-13 Topical Surveys. Cham: Springer International Publishing.
• Taylor-Cox, J. (2013). Math intervention: Building number power with formative assessments, differentiation, and games, grades PreK-2. New York, NY: Routledge.
• Wright, R., Ellemor-Collins, D., & Tabor, P. (2012). Developing number knowledge: Assessment, teaching & intervention with 7–11-year-olds. London: SAGE Publications.

Locations

• Online
• Strathfield

Credit Points

10

Year

2026