Because not all students learn the same way or at the same pace, one ISU professor wants to find out how to tailor teaching methods to the needs of individual students.

“Many school districts in Iowa are now requiring general algebra to receive a diploma,” said Anne Foegen, associate professor of curriculum and instruction. “This presents a challenge to many regular and special education students alike.”

Foegen is finding new ways to monitor central Iowa junior high and high school students’ progress in math. Foegen received a three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education to complete the research.

There should be an accurate way to measure children’s progress individually and to plot the results on a chart, she said.

“This would be like a growth chart for a child. When you go to the hospital for the first few years, a doctor plots your development,” Foegen said. “I’m basically trying to create an analogous data chart which measures [children’s] mathematics development over time, showing if they have a true deficiency or not.”

Such a chart would make it easier for teachers to tailor their teaching styles to the needs of individual children, which would make instruction more effective, she said.

Foegen is currently designing worksheets for testing on the Ballard, Fort Dodge, and South Tama junior high and high school districts.

“We’re in the process of gathering consent forms from parents right now, and if this is successful, we’ll start preliminary testing in April,” Foegen said.

The first step of the project will be to give out a few demonstrative worksheets to participating students, which gives a “snapshot” of the students’ initial development, Foegen said.

After she receives the forms back, Foegen will administer exercises to students and, after all the monitoring materials are developed, begin full testing.

The full testing will begin in the fall and will consist of regular worksheets for students and monitoring of individual students’ progress and development. Students will begin with basic algebraic equations and move onto analyzing graphs, variable equations, and the distributive property.

“There will be 12 to 15 forms I hand out in all,” Foegen said. “They should only take two to five minutes to complete, and will be short, quick and frequent.”

Teachers will administer the tests once a month. Foegen will plot students’ individual development as she receives the results.

“I’ll try to measure the development on five levels, and over time, I’ll pick which one measures progress most effectively,” she said.

The goal of the research is to develop a manageable spread among the highest and lowest achieving students, Foegen said.

“If you can give teachers data, they can pinpoint which students require special attention, and ultimately make better teaching decisions,” Foegen said. “At the very least, they will be more informed, and they can build on the teaching tools they already have.”

She said the project will help schools adhere to the No Child Left Behind Act, she said, which requires schools around the nation to constantly improve aptitude in several subjects or lose federal funding.

Foegen’s work is important for special education students, said Thomas Andre, professor and chairman of curriculum and instruction.

“Kids are sometimes disaggregated with their status in school, especially those with special needs,” Andre said.

“In light of No Child Left Behind … this study is very timely and relevant to the [No Child Left Behind] Act and the challenges schools face to meet expectations.”