Final Project: Intervention to Support Learning and Behavior

Morgan Bevell & Stacy Hughes

Department of Special Education, University of Kansas

SPED 843: Advanced Methods & Assessment: Strategies for Students with Significant Behavior,

Social & Emotional Need

Dr. Irma Brasseur-Hock

February 28, 2022

Final Project: Intervention to Support Learning and Behavior

 Two studies of Building Blocks for Math met the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC)

evidence standards (U.S. Department of Education, 2007). SRA Real Math Building Blocks

PreK, also referred to as Building Blocks for Math, is a supplemental mathematics curriculum

designed to develop preschool children’s early mathematical knowledge through various

individual and small and large group activities (U.S. Department of Education).

The Building Blocks for Math was bought as a curriculum for 51 schools across the

nation. The curriculum reached 23,000 children It was taught in schools, additional preschools

(HeadStart), and childcare programs. The WWC Intervention Report shows that 52% were black,

29% white, and 7% not specified (U.S. Department of Education, 2007). The majority, 88%,

were not Hispanic. The ratio of boys to girls was 1:1. From the data it stated that 87% were on

the free and reduced lunch program, which means they measured below the poverty level

threshold.

The curriculum was administered to both small groups and a whole class. The grades for

the Building Blocks for Math are Pre-K. These are the students just entering school for the first

time. According to the WWC Intervention Report, children did not need to meet any evidentiary

standards such as oral language, print knowledge, phonological processing, early

reading/writing, or cognition (U.S. Department of Education, 2007).

The setting for the curriculum is in classrooms. It could be taught to the class as a whole

or to the smaller groups. This could be important to students that may be in school for the first

time versus students that may have done a PK3 or involved in a different school setting, such as

a daycare with academics.

The interventionist agents were the classroom teachers. The teachers were given four

days of training, a monthly two-hour class, and monthly in-class coaching by project staff. They
were also trained in supporting mathematical development in the classroom, how to set up

centers, how to computer teach, and supporting mathematical development in the home. The

curriculum included not only materials for the students, but also teachers' resources.

Outcomes are monitored two different ways. Online software would be able to track the

progress as the student succeeds. For the small/whole group of students an oral or written

assessment can be given after a period that the lesson was taught to see if the student is retaining

the information.

Due to the small group and whole class nature of this intervention, Tier 2 students would

benefit most from this intervention. Building Blocks for Math embeds mathematical learning in

children’s daily activities, so it can be provided in a variety of environments such as home, day

care, and classroom (U.S. Department of Education, 2007). Parents, teachers, and other qualified

personnel might implement specifically designated math activities or integrate it into circle or

story time. The goal of this intervention is to help children relate their informal math knowledge

to more formal mathematical concepts (U.S. Department of Education, 2007). In the study

performed by Clements and Sarama (2006), children used the Building Blocks for Math

curriculum in 10- to 15-minute small-group (4–6 children) math activities weekly. These

children also participated in 5- to 15-minute whole-group math activities four times a week and

5- to 10-minute computer activities twice a week. They also had family activities sent home

weekly and the intervention was performed for a total of 26 weeks. The entry and exit criteria are

determined through pre- and post-assessments, respectively. The assessments are broken down

into smaller domains, such as verbal counting, object counting, number recognition, number

comparison, sequencing, composition, numerals, adding and subtracting, place value (Clements

& Sarama, 2007). Once the assessment is reviewed the teacher will know where to begin
teaching (for the pre-assessment) and how much the student has learned or retained (for the post-

assessment). The online software is also designed to continually move the student up in levels,

dependent on their success and completion of lessons, which can also be used for entry and exit

data (U.S. Department of Education, 2007).

This curriculum aims to mathematizes everyday activities, including everything from

story time, singing songs and reading books. Whatever topic you are teaching for math (such as

numbers or geometry) when reading a story, you can ask them to tact/label/express what it is.

The curriculum included take-home sheets as well so the families can do the same activities at

home and the family can further the student’s learning. Students that are at a high risk for EBD

can have the program tailored to a smaller group atmosphere or even one on one to work to

ensure their success. One support that can be chosen is instructional choice. This intervention is

used when you want to reduce or eliminate behaviors from occurring. The student may get to

pick which subject/question they want to do first. They may get to pick the reinforcer when they

are task complete. This gives the student some control while still getting the work done.

References
Clements, D. H., & Sarama, J. (2006, June). Scaling up the implementation of a pre-

Kindergarten mathematics curriculum: The Building Blocks curriculum. Paper presented

at the Institute of Education Sciences Research Conference, Washington, D.C.

Clements, D. H., & Sarama, J. (2007). Effects of a preschool mathematics curriculum:

Summative research on the Building Blocks project. Journal for Research in Mathematics

Education, 38(2), 136–163.

Comprehensive, Integrated, Three-Tiered Model of Prevention. ci3t.org. (2021, March 12).

Retrieved February 26, 2022, from https://www.ci3t.org/

U.S. Department of Education. (2007, June 23). WWC Building Blocks Intervention Report.

What Works Clearinghouse. Retrieved February 22, 2022, from

https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Docs/InterventionReports/WWC_Building_Blocks_072307.

pdf.
 Appendix A

Secondary (Tier 2) Support Grid

Support Description Schoolwide Data: Data to Monitor Progress Exit Criteria

Entry Criteria

Building Blocks for Students are working in Students are interviewed Academic Measures: Online software:
MATH (SRA Real both small groups and to assess the knowledge
MATH) whole class instruction. and skills that they ● At the end of each ● The computer
The curriculum teaches already know. The topic, either will move the
the students in numerous assessments are broken software or print student up a
ways, Math Pre-K down into smaller material a post test level when they
software, manipulatives domains. These include will be given for the successfully
and print material. Then verbal counting, object student to complete. complete the
it has material that counting, number This will have lesson.
teaches math through recognition, number content from which
daily activities and story comparison, sequencing, they learned. ● In person
time. composition, numerals, learning, the
adding and subtracting, Treatment Integrity: student can be
place value. (Clements assessed again
& Sarama, 2007). ● With multiple ways with a posttest
Once the assessment is to learn the material, to find out what
reviewed the teacher finding out which they are
will know where to method works for retained.
begin teaching. each student