Uses of Technology for Mathematics Assessment and Instruction: Reflection on a Decade of Innovations

Innovations in special education technology throughout the 1980s have been most pronounced in the area of mathematics. Largely because of federal funding, development and research has been conducted with a wide variety of new technologies, particularly in the areas of assessment and effective instructional programs. A pervasive theme throughout these efforts has been the use of an information processing framework for understanding the problems special education students exhibit as they learn mathematics. Automaticity, conceptual development, and cognitive modeling have been key areas of research. The authors look forward to the next decade with the hope that these technologies will be used increasingly by practitioners.