Response to Intervention in Math

"The authors do a great job of blending ideas from mathematics education and the National Mathematics Panel Report with special education research. This is a great resource for those starting an RTI mathematics program."
―Russell Gersten, Professor Emeritus, University of Oregon
Director, Instructional Research Group

"Riccomini and Witzel have assembled a straightforward, well-organized, and systematically presented text that will be popular with inservice and preservice teachers alike."
―Kimberly Bright, Associate Professor of Educational Leadership and Special Education
Shippensburg University

Boost academic achievement for all students in your mathematics classroom!

Response to Intervention (RTI) is a system for assessment and instruction that has promising applications for teaching mathematics. This exciting new resource from Paul J. Riccomini and Bradley S. Witzel leads the way in applying RTI to mathematics instruction by offering guidelines for improving learning for all students, especially those who have learning disabilities or are struggling with mathematics content.

Drawing from evidence-based models, this guide begins with a comprehensive discussion of the RTI framework and the types of interventions appropriate within an RTI system for mathematics. The authors describe how the three tiers can be implemented in specific math areas and provide examples of RTI procedures illustrated in case studies. Aligned with the needs identified in the National Mathematics Advisory Panel final report and the IES practice guide, this book includes:

• Intervention strategies for specific mathematics areas, such as number sense, fractions, problem solving, and more
• Procedures for teaching math using systematic and explicit instruction as an approach to assessment, instructional planning, and evaluation
• Descriptions of essential components to consider when designing and implementing RTI in mathematics
• Guidelines for teaching math vocabulary

This timely resource provides tools and strategies that educators can immediately implement to help students achieve increased critical thinking skills and academic success.

Paul J. Riccomini is an experienced classroom teacher, author, mathematician, and leading special education expert. Dr. Riccomini began his career as a dual-certified general education mathematics teacher of students with learning disabilities, emotional and behavioral disabilities, and gifted and talented students in Grades 7–12. He taught mathematics to both general and special education students in inclusive settings. He is coauthor of the best-selling Response to Intervention in Math (Corwin, 2009) book and is an associate professor of education at the Pennsylvania State University. His teaching experiences required him to have both strong content knowledge in mathematics and to develop and maintain strong collaborative relationships with both general and special educators. As a former middle and high school mathematics teacher, he knows firsthand the challenges faced by students who struggle in mathematics and recognizes the importance of early mathematics development. He hopes the writing of this book will assist teachers in their efforts to develop young mathematicians.

Dr. Riccomini provides professional development in schools across the nation. His dynamic presentations offer research-validated practices that focus on the development of improved instructional practices for all students. Dr. Riccomini’s written work includes numerous research and practitioner articles for students with and without learning disabilities, including one of the first books to address Response to Intervention in the area of mathematics. Additional publications he coauthored include three Tier 2 Interventions for the areas of fractions, integers, and simple equations.

Bradley S. Witzel, PhD, is an award-winning teacher and professor who works as an associate professor and education program coordinator at Winthrop University, the flagship education college for the state of South Carolina. As a classroom teacher, and before that as a paraeducator, he worked in multiple settings teaching mainly math and science to high-achieving students with disabilities. Dr. Witzel has written five books, including the best-selling Response to Intervention in Math through Corwin, as well as several dozen book chapters, research and practitioner articles, and training manuals. He has also produced six education videos and several hundred conference and workshop presentations. He is a selected member of the Governing Board of the Southeast Regional Educational Laboratory (REL), funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), and of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) Accessibility and Accommodations work group. Dr. Witzel currently serves as the editor of Focus on Inclusive Education through the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI) and recently served as a panelist on the IES practice guide Assisting Students Struggling with Mathematics and as an invited reviewer of the final report from the National Mathematics Advisory Panel. Most importantly, he is a father of two, husband of an educator, and son of two educators.