Teaching Math in Middle School: Using MTSS to Meet All Students' Needs

Make all your middle schoolers confident and competent mathematicians with this book, your accessible guide to teaching math to every learner in Grades 6-8. Focused on knocking down roadblocks to learning, this reader-friendly resource shows you how to use multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS)—a powerful, widely adopted framework for meeting each student's individual needs. You'll learn how to deliver high-quality, evidence-based math instruction; combine your instruction with meaningful assessment; and provide just-right supports that help students conquer their specific math struggles.

An essential guide for in-service educators—and an important resource for teachers in training—this book gives you the in-depth knowledge and practical tools you need to support every student's success in middle school math.

• Implement MTSS to benefit all students. Develop and use tiered supports across your whole school, promote collaboration between general and special educators, and troubleshoot your MTSS.
• Build foundational numeracy skills. Help your students strengthen the three pillars of numeracy that build algebraic proficiency.
• Design and deliver effective math instruction. Use today's recommended practices to teach all students, and develop Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions that really help struggling learners.
• Choose and use effective supports. Distinguish between differentiation, accommodation, and modification, and learn when and how to use them.
• Use data to make decisions. Learn how to select and use screeners, diagnostic assessments, progress monitoring tools, and summative assessments—and use results to shape instruction.

Leanne Ketterlin-Geller, Ph.D., is a Professor and the Texas Instruments Chair in Education at Southern Methodist University. Her research focuses on the development and validation of formative assessment systems in mathematics that provide instructionally relevant information to support students with diverse needs. She works nationally and internationally to support achievement and engagement in mathematics and other STEM disciplines.

Sarah R. Powell, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Texas at Austin. Sarah conducts research related to mathematics interventions for students with learning difficulties. Her work is currently supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, National Science Foundation, T.L.L. Temple Foundation, and office of Special Education Programs.

Lindsey Perry, Ph.D., researches on improving students' mathematics knowledge, particularly at the elementary and middle school grades, by better understanding how children reason relationally and spatially. Her work also included the development of technically adequate assessments that can be used to improve these reasoning skills.

She holds a Ph.D. in education from Southern Methodist University, an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Texas - Arlington, and a B.A. in Mathematics from the University of Texas - Austin. After teaching elementary and middle school mathematics for two Texas school districts, Linsey served as the Assistant Director of Mathematics and as a Mathematics Assessment Specialist at the Texas Education Agency. She has also developed and led professional development opportunities for teachers in the United States, Uganda, and Malawi and worked on an international mathematics assessment for students in grades 1–3.