In this paper, we review five research-validated practices deemed important for mathematics instruction, particularly for students who experience difficulty (Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation, 2020; Fuchs et al., 2021). We focus on research-validated practices for these students because average mathematics scores of students in Australia have declined over the last two decades, which means more students require high-quality mathematics instruction than ever before (OECD, 2023). Furthermore, identification of mathematics learning disability is uneven in Australia (Reeve, 2019) which means there are many students who may not be identified with a mathematics learning disability but require support in the general mathematics classroom. In each section of this paper, we explain the practice, the research that supports the practice, and what this practice might look like in the classroom.

Introduction -- Practice #1: Focus on the Language of Mathematics -- Practice #2: Use Multiple Representations -- What Practice #3: Be Systematic and Explicit with Instruction -- Practice #4: Build Fluency -- What Practice #5: Focus on Word Problems -- What Conclusion -- References