Dose-response patterns in mathematics intervention for at-risk K–3 learners: implications for progress monitoring

Abstract Mathematics learning disability (MLD) is characterized by persistent difficulty acquiring mathematics skills. Neuroscience, computational modeling, and intervention research are compatible with the possibility that children with MLD may need more practice to consolidate the same skills. The present study reports a preliminary reanalysis of 171 effect sizes from 24 K to 3 mathematics intervention studies, stratified by whether samples included only at-risk children or also included not-at-risk peers, and by whether outcomes measured the specific skills taught or broader achievement. In at-risk samples assessed on skill-aligned measures, intervention hours were positively associated with gains across the studied range ( r = 0.52, p < 0.001), and the result held when analyses accounted for multiple effect sizes from the same study. The pattern was not detected when samples included not-at-risk peers or when outcomes measured broader achievement. These correlational findings do not show whether children with MLD need more practice to consolidate skills or face a ceiling on how far instruction can take them. The results suggest, however, that some flat curriculum-based measurement (CBM) slopes may reflect insufficient or weakly aligned instruction rather than a child failing to respond to instruction.