This glimpse into number sense research highlights the importance of theconstruct, and particularly, its critical influence as students enter school. However, it alsoreveals the inadequacy of such research beyond the elementary years. If mathematicsskills at the kindergarten level are capable of influencing overall mathematicsachievement and growth throughout elementary school years, a reasonable deduction isthat number sense continues to be a critical component of success in mathematics throughthe middle school years and beyond, particularly in the context of course selection andtracking which becomes more pronounced in adolescence. For instance, utilizing data34from the Colorado Student Assessment Program, Billings (2009) discovered a positive