The Reading Barrier/Math Connection

How low-level reading skills can interfere with math computation

We’ve all seen it: a student who breezes through a page of multiplication facts but hits a wall the moment those same numbers are embedded in a paragraph.

I was at the Doctor’s office yesterday and was chatting with another person, who happened to be a Middle School Math teacher, about this exact thing! For both of us, we could have gone down the proverbial “rabbit hole” coming up with solutions for kids that struggle with math because of reading.

The struggle with math isn't actually a struggle with math. It is a struggle with the literacy  required to access the problem. When we ask a student with low-level reading skills to solve a complex word problem, we are asking so much more than to simply calculate some numbers. We’re asking them to decode and switch back and forth between linguistic and mathematical concepts. That is a huge cognitive load!

If we don't “decouple” reading ability from mathematical reasoning, we risk “labeling” kids with a math disability when that is absolutely not the case. It’s reading that becomes the barrier to math.

Here’s an example:

The Reading Barrier in Action

Michael, a 5th grader, reads at a 2nd-grade level. He has excellent logic and understands the concept of "equal groups." Math is considered to be his strength.

He was given this problem to solve: "A local community garden has 14 rows of carrots. Each row contains 26 carrots. If the gardeners harvest half of the carrots, how many carrots remain in the garden?"

What did Michael experience?

1. Decoding Fatigue: He spends significant mental energy sounding out words like "community," "harvest," and "remain."

2. Misinterpretation: He confuses "rows" with "roads" and misses the word "half" entirely because he is so focused on the larger words.

   
   

Michael was in complete cognitive overload! By the time he finishes reading the three sentences, his working memory is exhausted. He sees the numbers 14 and 26 and simply adds them together ($14 + 26 = 40$) just to produce an answer.

So what happens? Michael gets the answer wrong. His teacher might assume he doesn't understand multi-digit multiplication or multi-step problems. In reality, Leo never even got to the "math" part of the problem.

Think about that for a quick sec…

Let’s Remove the Reading Barrier with Supports

Now, let’s look at the same problem with Tier 1 or Tier 2 supports designed to bypass the reading deficit while keeping the mathematical rigor high.

The Supports:

• Text-to-Speech (TTS): Leo listens to the problem through headphones.

• Visual Anchor/Graphic Organizer: A simple "Part-Part-Whole" or "Area Model" template is provided.

• Vocabulary Support: A small icon of a carrot and a "division symbol" next to the word "half" to bridge the reading/decoding gap.

  
  

Michael’s Experience with Support:

1. Access: Hearing the word "harvest" allows him to understand the context immediately without decoding effort.

2. Visualization: He recognizes that "14 rows of 26" means he needs to multiply. He uses an area model to calculate $14 \times 26 = 364$.

3. Reasoning: Because his brain isn't tired from reading, he catches the final step: "half." He divides 364 by 2.

   
   

The Result: Michael calculates the correct answer: 182. He has successfully demonstrated 5th-grade math mastery because the reading barrier was removed.

I love the idea of adding a graphic organizer to Mchael’s supports so he can see what needs to happen to calculate correctly.

A student’s math accuracy can’t be dependent on a student’s ability to read at grade level.

We must shift our mindset: A student’s inability to decode text should not be a ceiling on their ability to think critically. That is so limiting.

When we provide supports like read-alouds, visual prompts, and simplified syntax, we aren't "dumbing down" the math. We are leveling the playing field. By removing below-level reading as a barrier, we allow students to show us what they actually know about fractions, geometry, and algebraic thinking.

We want to grow our students as readers, but during Math, we’re growing Mathematicians!

How can you begin to shift your thinking to support below-level readers in Math?

• Look at your assessments: Is a question difficult because of the numbers or the vocabulary?

• Normalize tools: Make text-to-speech or simplified organizers available to all students, reducing the stigma for those who need them most. YES!

• Focus on the "Why": Ask students to explain their logic verbally. You’ll often find a brilliant mathematical mind hidden behind a struggling reader. This also gives a chance to “show what they know” in a different way.