Fractions support in a secondary school

Fraction skills were examined for students in the first three years of high school. This was done using a detailed survey of fifty items. Four versions of the survey, containing fifty items from a set of seventy one items, had overlapping sets of items and variations in order. These randomization efforts were directed at ensuring the reliability of the instrument.The instrument was administered to 528 students in the first three years of a secondary school program. The performance level was found not to change during the first three years. It was also found that students using order of operation calculators performed better than those that were not. The results show a significant decline over the last decade, suggesting that the move to problem centered learning and the use of technology has marginalized fraction skills.