Abstract
Because math fact automaticity has been identified as a key barrier for students struggling with mathematics, we examined how initial math achievement levels influenced the path to automaticity (e.g., variation in number of attempts, speed of retrieval, and skill maintenance over time) and the relation between attainment of automaticity and gains in general math achievement. Findings indicated that most students did not meet the grade level recommendations for addition and subtraction identified by standards-setting organizations, but those that did were likely to achieve superior gains in math achievement, controlling for pretest scores. Relative to higher-achieving students, low-achieving students required more attempts to demonstrate automaticity, achieved automaticity later, and their speed of retrieval was lagging. Overall, low-achieving students were less likely to demonstrate fluent retrieval of math facts, but those that did also experienced particularly large gains in general math achievement.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
