Wall, H. (2022). The efficacy of test accommodations for students with dyscalculia (Publication No. 29391197) [Doctoral dissertation, Concordia University]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global. https://www.proquest.com/docview/2727623757

Concordia University (River Forest, IL); ProQuest document ID: 2727623757

The effect of extra blank space—increased by 50% from the usual amount—on mathematics test performance was investigated.

One grade 5 student with dyscalculia, a math-related learning disability, participated in this single-case design study. The participant was attending a small private school in Florida (U.S.) that originally opened as an alternative school for K–12 students with learning differences. Additional information was reported for the male student, including cognitive testing: full-scale IQ 88 (21st percentile). The participant had a specific learning disability with a severe impairment in mathematics, moderate impairment in reading and writing; he also had attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Baseline performance data were gathered from regular classroom grade 5 math tests. Intervention data came from similar math classroom tests with a 50% increase in blank space. Details were reported for each of the classroom tests on the mixes of multiplication and division items, along with word problems, computation problems, and other topics.

The comparison of performance data from the two phases—baseline and intervention—yielded that the increased blank space had no significant effect on the student's academic performance. The researchers explained how the results were more exploratory than definitive. They indicated that the test items' topics and the student's emotional state prior to the assessment influenced test performance.