Teaching and Assessing 
Students with Exceptionalities
Planning for 
Students Who Are
Mathematically 
Gifted
Creativity
Presenting open-ended problems and investigations students can use divergent thinking to examine mathematical ideas-often in collaborations with others.
Creativity provides  different options for students un culminating performances of their understanding, such as demonstrating their knowledge through interventions, experiments, simulations, etc.
Complexity
Increase sophistication of a topic
by raising the level of complexity or
pursuing greater depth to content,
possibly outside of the regular curriculum 
or by making interdisciplinary connections.
Depth
Enrichment activities go into depth
beyond the topic of study to content 
that is not specifically a part of your
grade-level curriculum but is an 
extension of the original mathematical
tasks.
Acceleration 
& Pacing
Allowing students to increase 
the pace of their own learning 
can give them access to curriculum 
different from their grade level while 
demanding more independent study.
When gifted students are accelerated through
the curriculum they are more likely to explore STEAM.
Pre-assessing students by 
curriculum-based tests and also other 
measures such as concept maps prior to
instruction allows the evaluation of what the
student already knows and in some cases identifies 
how many grade levels ahead they might be.
Diverse 
Learners
Addressing the needs of ALL
means providing access & 
opportunity for:
* Who are identified as struggling 
or having a disability.
* Who are mathematically gifted.
* Who are unmotivated or need to build
resilience.
Essential in making decisions about 
how can you adapt instruction to meet
individual learner's need is the use of the 
environment or the learner; it does not 
alter the task.
Students backgrounds
are important not only for
who they are, but who they
are as learners which enriches 
the classroom.
Students need opportunities
to advance their knowledge 
supported by teaching that gives 
attention to their individual learning
needs.
Prevention 
Models
Progress 
Monitoring
Combining instruction with 
short daily assessments.
Assess students' 
growth toward fluency
in basic facts.
Collect evidence of students'
knowledge of concepts through the 
use of diagnostic interviews.
Response to
Internvention
Each tier in the 
triangle represents a level
of intervention with 
corresponding monitoring
of results and outcomes.
Tier 3:  Represents students who need
need more intensive assistance, which
may include comprehensive mathematics instruction or a referral for special education evaluation or special education services. Individual student. 1-5%
Tier 2: Represent students who did not 
reach the level of achievement expected during Tier 1 instruction.  Small groups. 5-10 %
Tier 1: Represents the core 
of all students based on high-quality mathematics curriculum, highly engaging instructional practices (ex: manipulatives, conceptual emphasis, etc.) & progress monitoring assessments. 80-90%
Multitiered student support
system often representd in a
three-tier triangle format.
Multitiered models are centered
 on the three interwoven elements:
Formative
Assessment
Instructional
Support
(Internventions)
High-quality 
Curriculum
Strategies to
Avoid
*Assigning more of the same work.
*Giving free time to early finishers.
* Assigning gifted students to help 
struggling learners.
* Providing gifted pull-out opportunities.
*Offering independent enrichment
on the computer.
Adaptations for 
Students with
Moderate/Severe Disabilities
When possible content should be connected to
life skills and features of jobs. Other times, link 
mathematical learning objectives to everyday events
in a practical way.
Need extensive modifications and 
individualized supports to learn
mathematics. Students included
are those with sever autism, sensory
disorders, limitations affecting movement,
cerebra palsy, & processing disorders (intellectual
Teaching & Assessing Students with Learning Disabilities
Phase 3: Provide Clarity.
Repeat the timeframe, ask students to share their thinking, emphasize connections, adapt delivery modes, emphasize the relevant points, support the organization of written work, & provide examples and nonexamples.
Phase 4: Consider Alternative 
Assessments. Propose alternative products, 
encourage self-monitoring & self-assessment,
& consider feedback charts.
Phase 5: Emphasize Practice & Summary. 
Consolidate Ideas & Provide extra practice.
Students with learning disabilities often have
very specific difficulties with perceptual or cognitive
processing that may affect memory; general strategy use; attention; the ability to speak or express ideas in writing; ability to perceive auditory, visual, or written; ability to intregate
Phase 1: Structure the Environment.
Centralize attention, avoid confusion, & create smooth transitions.
Phase 2: Identify and Remove
Potential Barriers. Help students
remember, provide vocabulary & 
concept support, use "friendly" numbers,
vary the task size, & adjust the visual display.
Implementing 
Interventions
Think-Alouds
Your goal is always
to work toward high
student responsibility
for learning.
Instructional strategy you demonstrate the steps
to accomplish a task while verbalizing the thinking
process & reasosing that accompany the actions.
Peer-Assisted 
Learning
Students learn best when they are placed
in the role of an apprentice working with 
a more skilled peer or "expert".
Having students with disabilities "teach"
others is an important part of the learning
process.
Concrete,
Semi-Concrete, Abstract
(CSA)
Reflects concrete representations
such as manipulative materials 
that encourage learning through
movement or action to semi-concrete
representations of drawings or pictures
learning through abstract symbols.
Includes modeling the 
mental conversations that 
go on in your mind as you 
help students articulate
their own thinking.
Explicit Strategy 
Instruction
Must include making
mathematical relationships
explicit.
Concrete models can 
support explicit strategy
instruction.
Characterized by highly
structured, teacher-led
instruction on a specific
strategy.