Word problem-solving by students with and without mild disabilities

Performance of mathematics word problems having varying structures was compared for Grade 3-8 students with and without mild disabilities. Students with disabilities performed at significantly lower levels than did those without disabilities in four types of word problems, even when the problems involved only single-digit computation. Significant effects were also evident for grade and operation (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division). The findings highlight the need for math instruction to move from a focus on computation to problem-solving activities, including word problems of varying structures. Further, test development must make more effort to present a variety of reasoning and problem-solving activities in standardized tests.