Supporting High School Math Learning across the Educational Continuum

C. Rett McBride, Tina Herzberg, and Sarah Nurpeisov

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Impacts of High School Math Achievement

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High School Math Classes Taken Vary Greatly

• Students are not required to take math classes in a particular order
• Some states require three high school math classes for graduation while others require four
• Not every school offers every option
• Also, many students choose to take a for-college-credit math class (e.g., Advanced Placement or dual-enrollment) while in high school

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Rapp and Rapp (1992)

• Data collected from 72 itinerant teachers of students with visual impairments in New England who supported 160 high school students during the 1988-1989 academic year.
• Out of 126 high school students, 56 were taking general math (below algebra 1).
• 34 were taking algebra 1.
• 16 were taking geometry.
• 20 were taking algebra 2, trigonometry, or higher.

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Parallel Studies

1. In the fall of 2022, 83 itinerant TSVIs completed an online survey about their experiences in supporting the math learning of high school students on their caseloads. The respondents also provided information about 160 high school students with visual impairments.
2. In the fall of 2024 and spring of 2025, 26 math teachers at schools for the blind completed a similar online survey. Six participants provided information about 50 high school students.

Student data included:

• Grade level
• Which math classes they were taking (if any).
• Media preference for math (print, braille, dual media, auditory)
• Additional disabilities (if any)*

*added to 2^nd study

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Grade Level of Students

1^st Study

2^nd Study (Students at Schools for the Blind)

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Media Preferences for Math

1^st Study

2^nd Study

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1^st Study

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All U.S. Students

(From 2009 Data)

2^nd Study

Two students in grade 12+ were taking precalculus

Factors that Help Students be Successful

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Student Access To…

• Tactile graphics and braille materials 
• Enlarged materials 
• Manipulatives and 3D models
• Mainstream apps, devices, and software (calculators, Desmos, iPad, Chromebook, games) 
• Specialized low-tech assistive technology (Tactile Doodle, Math Window, magnifiers, APH number line, abacus)
• Specialized high-tech assistive technology (screen readers, braille note takers, Monarch) 

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Student Access To... (Continued, 1^st study only)

• Pre-teaching 
• Support from a qualified paraprofessional 
• Information on the whiteboard 
• Online instructional materials (Google Classroom, Jamboard, and eBooks)
• Means for receiving and submitting math assignments digitally

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Math Teacher Practices

• Provides timely access to math materials   
• Provides appropriate accommodations   
• Grants extra time on assignments and examinations   
• Offers tutoring 
• Modifies assignments    
• Audibly articulates math content  (1^st study only)
• Repetition and practice (2^nd study only)
• Slower pace (2^nd study only)

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Student Skills (1^st Study)

• Self-advocacy      
• Braille skills
• Nemeth and/or UEB (Unified English Braille) Math/Science skills 
• Strong foundational math skills   

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Factors that Posed Challenges to Full Participation

• Timely access to materials, tools, and technology
• Lack of foundational math skills
• Time needed to teach compensatory skill in addition to math content
• Fast pace, broad curriculum

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Limitations

• Participants were self-selected and in turn, selected high school students about whom they provided information.
• Possible that participants were more interested than other TSVIs in assisting students in high school math (1^st study)
• Also possible that students represented in the responses were stronger in math content than other students with visual impairments. 
• Not possible to know the extent to which students with additional disabilities were included (1^st study)

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Limitations (Continued…)

• Generalization of study findings to all students with visual impairments is not possible given the small number of students at each grade level in this study.
• Not possible to know all the math classes that students would take in high school.
• No data collected about students’ grades in their math classes.  
• The course-taking information for all U.S. students is based on data from 2009 (Brown et al., 2018). While this is the most current data publicly available, it is 15 years old and may not reflect current course-taking patterns of U.S. high school students.

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Implications for Practitioners

• If a teacher of students with visual impairments is not confident in their foundational knowledge in math content and pedagogy, they should advocate that their students receive tutoring and assistance from math education experts rather than tutoring their students themselves.

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Implications for Practitioners (Continued…)

• Support math teachers, many of whom do not have any training or experience in teaching math to students with visual impairments.
• Explain the accommodations identified in their student’s Individualized Education Program and why implementing them is important to the student’s success.
• Develop a workflow with math teachers for delivering accessible math materials to students in a timely manner.
• Observe students in their math classroom to determine if additional supports are needed.

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More Implications for Practitioners

• Stay abreast of mainstream and specialized technologies used in math classrooms.
• Teach students problem solving skills so that they can participate in resolving challenges they experience in the classroom. 
• Teach students self-advocacy skills to prepare them for college and adulthood.

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Resources

• Project INSPIRE 2 on the Paths to Literacy website�Project INSPIRE 2: Access and Equity in STEM Learning for Individuals Who Read Braille
• Paths to Technology:
• Digital Math Workflows
• Digital Math Checklists
• List of resources developed by Ohio State University and their professional partners National Research Agenda for STEM Education for Students with Visual Impairments

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Q & A ☺

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