Effective Instructional Strategies to Ensure Fifth Grade Mathematics ReadinessLiterature ReviewThe purpose of this literature review is an exploration of effective instructional strategies to ensure preparation in fifth grade mathematics. This two-part study investigates what teachers consider to be key elements in instructional design and implementation to support the mathematics curriculum at all levels of elementary school. We will also examine specific math skills that teachers believe should be taught and strengthened each year from kindergarten through fifth grade. Due to ongoing changes in national and state education programs, there has been an increase in focus on language goals and literacy skills. in the classroom today, while mathematical skills have received less and less emphasis and have become less of a priority. “Although students have made progress in some areas of mathematics, when it comes to basic arithmetic – in particular, the ability to calculate – growth has been disappointing” (Loveless, 2003). Students who have yet to demonstrate proficiency in foundational math skills by the fourth grade of elementary school will most likely need remedial instruction. It is difficult, and often impossible, for teachers to adhere to the current grade level's curriculum structure when students are not yet proficient in the basic concepts that should have been mastered in previous grade levels. Reteaching Mathematics Skills to Fifth Grade StudentsStudies indicate that student achievement in mathematics remained unchanged in the lower elementary grades compared to middle school (Kutscher, 2008). Reteaching is necessary to reintroduce and reinforce math concepts for students who have been...... half of article ......tp://search.proquest.com/docview/220631972?accountid= 10248Loveless, T. (Director) (6 February 2003). Trends in mathematics achievement: The importance of basic skills. Math and Science Initiative. Lecture conducted by the United States Secretary of Education, Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://www.brookings.edu/research/speeches/2003/02/06education-lovelessLinder, S. M., Powers-Costello, B., & Stegelin, D. A. (2011). Mathematics in early childhood: Research-based rationale and practical strategies. Journal of Early Childhood Education, 39(1), 29-37. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10643-010-0437-6 Slavin, R. E., & Lake, C. (2008). Effective programs in elementary mathematics: A synthesis of the best evidence. Educational Research Review, 78(3), 427-515. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.cu-portland.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/214120806?accountid=10248