Mathematics for Young Children
Supporting Mathematical Development and Learning through Targeted Curricula and Professional Development
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Compared to their middle-class peers, young children from low-income families tend to receive less support for mathematical development in their home and preschool environments. As a result, many economically disadvantaged children are not ready for mathematics when they enter elementary school.
WestEd’s Early Math Initiative is designed to help federal and state-funded preschool programs enhance mathematical development and learning in young children, using strategies that include supporting the home mathematics environment.
I found the Pre-K Mathematics’ curriculum to be an asset to the children’s math learning and growth.
Particpating Teacher
How the Early Math Initiative and Other Projects Help
WestEd, through federal funding, has helped public preschool programs across the nation address the readiness gap by offering effective curricula, professional development, and technical assistance. Our team provide pre-kindergarten teachers with an evidence-based curriculum, Pre-K Mathematics, along with the educational tools and strategies they need to support their children’s mathematical development. We also help early education administrators support and sustain the implementation of these effective mathematical practices.
I loved this activity; my older son and I help my child understand the math for each one. He gets very excited each time we do homework!
Participating Parent
One focus of the Early Math Initiative is to support schools as they implement the Pre-K Mathematics curriculum targeting four-year-olds. This curriculum was developed and aligned with state and other math standards.
The Early Math Initiative helps students build a solid foundation for more advanced mathematical understanding by addressing the whole-person needs of learners, including:
- Classroom elements (math activities and lessons)
- Home elements (activities for parents to practice with their children)
- Professional development (intensive teacher training on key strategies, lesson scaffolding, and aligning curriculum to Common Core State Standards)
There are two curricular interventions used in several federally funded studies.
Pre-K Mathematics
Pre-K Mathematics is designed to support and build upon the child’s informal mathematical knowledge. Across numerous research studies, the Pre-K Mathematics intervention was found to be robust, producing highly positive effects on children’s math knowledge across a variety of contexts. Professional development also had an impact on preschool teachers’ mathematics practices. Several features of teachers’ math practices were found to impact the active ingredients of the curriculum, including providing targeted scaffolding for students when needed. This project was funded by a federal Investing In Innovation (i3) grant.
Pre-K Mathematics Tutorial
Pre-K Mathematics Tutorial (PKMT) is a program designed to identify and support pre-K children who are behind in their mathematical development at the beginning of the school year. This intensive tutoring-based intervention improved students’ foundational math skills. The current PKMT study aims to replicate these findings at a larger scale. This project is funded by an Institute of Education Sciences (IES) systematic replication grant.
The students learned so much — even the students who started slow at the beginning show great progress. It also expanded children’s vocabulary.
Participating Teacher
Related Research
For more information about the Pre-K Mathematics curriculum, check out the following published research on the subject:
Barnes, M. A., Klein, A., Swank, P., Starkey, P., McCandliss, B., Flynn, K., Zuckere, T., Huang, K., Fall, A. M., Roberts, G. (2016). Effects of tutorial interventions in mathematics and attention for low-performing preschool children. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 9(4), 577-606.
Klein, A., Starkey, P., Clements, D., Sarama, J. Iyer, R. (2008). Effects of a pre-kindergarten mathematics intervention: A randomized experiment. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 1(3), 155-178.
Starkey, P., Klein, A. (2008). Sociocultural influences on young children’s mathematical knowledge. In Saracho, O. N. Spodek, B (Eds.), Contemporary perspectives on mathematics in early childhood education. 253-276, Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Starkey, P., Klein, A., DeFlorio, L., (2014). Promoting math readiness through a sustainable mathematics intervention. In Bierman, K. L. Boivin, M. (Eds.) Promoting school readiness and early learning: Implications of developmental research for practice. New York: Guilford Press.
Thomas, J., Cook, T., Klein, A., Starkey, P., DeFlorio, L. (in press). The sequential scale-up of an evidence-based intervention: A case study. Evaluation Review.