Math supports --504 or informal for dyscalculia

[Anonymous]

What are the "best practices" in teaching style / teacher inputs that help a kid with dyscalculia succeed? Already have extra time/quiet testing, but thinking about small but important things we can ask the teacher for. (6th grade)

[Anonymous]

My kid with dyscalculia had accommodations that allowed him to show understanding of the concepts without being penalized for not being able to remember math facts and formulas. So in 4th and 5th grade he was allowed a multiplication table. In 6th a basic calculator as long as the assignment was not about testing those basic skills. Later in math and science he got to take a formula sheet into testing with him - again, as long as the point of the assignment wasn’t to show you had memory he formula, but instead that you knew how to use it. It actually made some teachers rethink their tests so they better tested understanding of concepts rather than rote memorization, and then they gave the whole class access to the aid (calculator, formula sheet, etc) which I thought was great.

[Anonymous]

My son had an IEP because he had a host of issues, one of them being dyscalculia. He had a calculator accommodation for it, but no tables or formulas. And he had double time generally, for his very low processing speed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid with dyscalculia had accommodations that allowed him to show understanding of the concepts without being penalized for not being able to remember math facts and formulas. So in 4th and 5th grade he was allowed a multiplication table. In 6th a basic calculator as long as the assignment was not about testing those basic skills. Later in math and science he got to take a formula sheet into testing with him - again, as long as the point of the assignment wasn’t to show you had memory he formula, but instead that you knew how to use it. It actually made some teachers rethink their tests so they better tested understanding of concepts rather than rote memorization, and then they gave the whole class access to the aid (calculator, formula sheet, etc) which I thought was great.

Nice

[Anonymous]

My kid had an IEP because he had severe ADHD, very low processing speed and dysgraphia as well as his dyscalculia. He had a typing accommodation for the dysgraphia, a calculator accommodation for the dyscalculia (and some kids have multiplication tables or formulas so they don't need to recall, but my kid didn't), double time for the low processing speed, preferential seating in class for attention purposes, as well as repeated directions and notes (some teachers had no notes to share or refused to share them).

If there's a formal diagnosis, OP, you should ask for a 504. Plenty of kids have them. Schools and teachers usually DO NOT give accommodations without at least a 504, just because otherwise it gets too hard to manage a classroom, at least in public schools.

[Anonymous]

Who diagnosed this in your kid? Math instruction is so poor that I would not assume that a kid struggling in math has a learning disability. My kid is average in math but does horribly with the current instructional approach (all on the computer, no structure to the class, no emphasis on math facts, waste time in class getting kids to work in groups to be creative). When he does 1:1 tutoring with more traditional approaches he does fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid with dyscalculia had accommodations that allowed him to show understanding of the concepts without being penalized for not being able to remember math facts and formulas. So in 4th and 5th grade he was allowed a multiplication table. In 6th a basic calculator as long as the assignment was not about testing those basic skills. Later in math and science he got to take a formula sheet into testing with him - again, as long as the point of the assignment wasn’t to show you had memory he formula, but instead that you knew how to use it. It actually made some teachers rethink their tests so they better tested understanding of concepts rather than rote memorization, and then they gave the whole class access to the aid (calculator, formula sheet, etc) which I thought was great.

Thanks for this explanation. I just had a really frustrating experience in an IEP meeting where they told me my kid was getting a calculator despite the fact that he does not have dyscalculia but is the victim of math education malpractice (lol). I was like - no calculator, he needs to learn math facts! After some confusion they explained that all kids have access to a calculator and it is built into the math apps they use.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who diagnosed this in your kid? Math instruction is so poor that I would not assume that a kid struggling in math has a learning disability. My kid is average in math but does horribly with the current instructional approach (all on the computer, no structure to the class, no emphasis on math facts, waste time in class getting kids to work in groups to be creative). When he does 1:1 tutoring with more traditional approaches he does fine.

Individual instruction is always more efficient than large group instruction, PP. In the olden days (and sometimes not so olden days), rich kids had tutors and governesses: my mother and her sisters had a governess, my uncle had a tutor. Group instruction emerged as a cost-effective way to educate the masses, because it's better than nothing. That's all. This isn't necessarily an indictment of any particular school curriculum. Now your child could also have a piss-poor math curriculum or attention issues or learning disabilities that make him less able to follow along in class. A lot of kids with ADHD need tutors. Mine did...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who diagnosed this in your kid? Math instruction is so poor that I would not assume that a kid struggling in math has a learning disability. My kid is average in math but does horribly with the current instructional approach (all on the computer, no structure to the class, no emphasis on math facts, waste time in class getting kids to work in groups to be creative). When he does 1:1 tutoring with more traditional approaches he does fine.

Ugh

DP