Children that show deficits in mathematics at an early age, generally do not catch up on these and suffer from long term problems. Little is known about how these skills develop after pre-school and elementary school. Initial studies indicate that some of them carry these deficits with basic mathematical competencies all the way through secondary school. At present only scattered evidence is available that poor basic arithmetic skills cause substantial difficulties in technical skills development. Additionally there is a shortage of standardized testing procedures for secondary schools that are able to differentiate between academically weak students and other students across different grades and different types of schools.

These research gaps was intended to be closed within the framework of two tightly interlocked projects.