Proactive Mathematics Intervention, Grades 6-8: Priming for Success Through Engaging Tasks and Purposeful Design
About this ebook
Middle school math interventions often rely on remediation, addressing gaps only after students have already fallen behind. What if we shifted to a proactive, humanizing approach? By using "priming"—a strengths-based strategy that prepares students before they encounter new grade-level material—educators can address flawed structures in the system rather than trying to "fix" students. This welcoming guide empowers teachers to help students in Tier 2 and Tier 3 instruction fortify their foundational skills and conceptual understanding, reduce anxiety, and still actively engage with their peers in learning the grade-level concepts and skills of middle school.
Grounded in the latest research, the book tackles critical challenges such as systemic inequities, disengagement, and gaps in student readiness. By integrating formative assessment, asset-based strategies, and practical and engaging intervention tasks, this comprehensive guide supports teachers, math coaches, interventionists, and school leaders to create proactive systems that meet every learner where they are.
Features include:
- 30 ready-to-use, multimodal intervention tasks designed with low floors and high ceilings so every student can engage
- Practical guidance on using the concrete, semiconcrete, and abstract (CSA) approach to build deep, lasting understanding
- Formative assessment tools tailored for intervention settings to monitor growth and individualize instruction
- Classroom vignettes, student work samples, and reflection questions for professional learning communities
Discover how to transform math intervention—systematically and systemically—from a space of remediation to one of genuine empowerment. By embracing priming, educators will be able to cultivate positive mathematical identities and ensure all students are confident, prepared, and ready to learn.
About the author
Barbara J. Dougherty is a former professor at the University of Hawai‘i where she was Director of the Curriculum Research & Development Group. Her research foci include determining ways to better support students who are struggling in mathematics and teaching algebra for understanding. She is the author or co-author of multiple publications including Assisting Students Struggling With Mathematics: Interventions in the Elementary grades and MPower: A Pathway to Understanding Algebra. Barbara was the co-chair of the joint NCTM/CEC task force and on the writing team of the NCTM/CEC joint position statement on Teaching Mathematics to Students with Learning Disabilities. She has been principal investigator or co-principal investigator of National Science Foundation and U. S. Department of Education grants that have provided funding to develop intervention modules for middle and high school and progress monitoring tools. She holds current teaching certifications in middle and high mathematics, and K-12 special education.
Karen S. Karp is a mathematics educator who focuses on the intersection of mathematics education and special education. She is a former professor at Johns Hopkins University and at the University of Louisville, where she is professor emerita. Early in her career, she received a Development Award from the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation to support more seamless integration between general education and special education. She is the author or co-author of numerous publications including Assisting Students Struggling With Mathematics: Intervention in the Elementary Grades and Elementary and Middle School Mathematics. Karen was on the writing team of the NCTM/CEC joint position statement on Teaching Mathematics to Students with Learning Disabilities. In 2024, she chaired the Topic Study Group on Teaching Mathematics to Students with Special Needs at the International Congress on Mathematical Education in Australia. She holds teaching/administrative certifications in elementary education, secondary mathematics, K–12 special education, and K–12 educational administration.
Dawn M. Pilotti is the McRae Family Foundation JK-12 Faculty Chair of Mathematics and a Mathematics Specialist at the Currey Ingram Academy in Brentwood, Tennessee, which is a school for students with learning differences. Dawn has more than 25 years of experience holding teaching certifications in 6-12 mathematics, K-12 comprehensive special education, and K-12 intervention, with a certificate for K-8 mathematics specialist. She has written interdisciplinary curriculum for local, national, and international organizations such as the National Park Service and the Acropolis Museum and was the 2012 recipient of the Tim Russert Make a Difference Educator of the Year from The Inner-City Foundation. Dawn currently serves on the NCTM Content and Learning Advisory Committee, is the NCSM Regional Lead-Tennessee, and was a recipient of a NCTM MET grant for her work with students with learning differences. Dawn earned her EdD from the University of South Carolina, where she was awarded the 2025 Outstanding Achievement in STEM Education Doctoral Award. Her scholarly and practitioner interests lie at the intersection of mathematics education and special education.
Nicora Placa is an Associate Professor at Hunter College, where she teaches mathematics content and methods courses for pre-service educators. Her current research, supported by multiple NSF grants, focuses on creating sustainable professional learning opportunities for mathematics teachers. She is the author of 6 Tools for Collaborative Mathematics Coaching (2023) and has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and presented at local, national and international conferences. Nicora served on the NCSM Board as Coaching Coordinator from 2023-2025, advocating for high-quality professional learning support for educators. A former elementary and middle school math teacher and coach in New York City, she continues to work with schools and districts to provide coaching and professional learning opportunities for teachers.
Jessica Ivy serves as the Thomas Ray Crowel Endowed Professor of STEM Education at Purdue University Northwest where she also coordinates educational programming at Gabis Arboretum at Purdue University Northwest. She teaches elementary, middle, and secondary mathematics and science methods courses. Her scholarship focuses on the integration of technology for teaching and learning, the use of digital fabrication tools for modeling, the development of teachers’ TPACK, digital citizenship, programming and computational thinking, and informal and formal STEM education. Her work has been shared through more than 30 peer reviewed publications and 50 international, national, or state presentations. She previously served on the AMTE Professional Development Committee and chaired the NCTM Professional Development Services Committee. She is a former middle and high school mathematics teacher and earned her Ph.D. at the University of Mississippi.