Numbers for Equity: Key Learning Approaches to Address Gaps in Student Achievement

• In Event: Student Learning and Achievement in Mathematics

Abstract

Educators and researchers have long sought to improve mathematics achievement for all students and address achievement gaps. Gray and Tall (1994) found that high achievers differed from low achievers in their flexible use of numbers, known as number sense. This study examined whether Gray and Tall’s findings still held in another country forty years later and integrated 'groupitizing,' a component of number sense driving number flexibility. Results from 76 students in grades 2-5 confirm a strong association between achievement and number sense. Groupitizing was also positively associated with math achievement and strategic number use. These findings offer insights into the building blocks of number sense and have important implications for achieving more equitable outcomes in elementary math instruction.

Authors

• Jo Boaler, Stanford University

• Jack A. Dieckmann, Stanford University

• Marjorie M. Hahn, Stanford University

• Jesse Ramirez, Stanford University