Approximately 60% of classroom students have insufficient math skills. Within a Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) framework, teachers can implement core differentiation strategies targeted at improving math skills of an entire class of students. Differentiation programs are developed in order to target academic skills of groups of students with varying levels of math proficiency. Considering the diverse levels of math proficiency in typical elementary classrooms, core enrichment programs can be highly effective in improving math skills of these students. However, it is important that teachers implement core differentiation programs that are evidence-based. Past research has supported the use of the PALS-Math differentiation program to improve math skills. The current analysis evaluated the effectiveness of the PALS-Math program using a modified pairing procedure. However, the current analysis found that implementing the PALS-Math differentiation program was not effective at improving the overall math skills of students when compared to the control group. Implications and limitations of the current study will be discussed.

Over 20% of public school students are in need of additional math support. For this reason, it is crucial that schools utilize the most effective math interventions to help improve student outcomes. Meta-analytic procedures were conducted in order to evaluate the effectiveness of hierarchical math interventions used to improve math skills. Results suggested that math fluency interventions were more effective than math acquisition interventions in improving student basic math skills. Furthermore, generalization interventions were found to have a greater effect on word problem-solving skills compared to math fluency and math acquisition interventions. These results suggest that math fluency interventions are effective in improving basic math skills. However, generalization interventions are currently the most effective method when improving specific higher order math skills. Practical implications of these results are also discussed.