A small bright spot for Nevada in newest NAEP

An article in today's (Nov. 1, 2011) Education Week notes that, "Nevada registered statistically significant gains in both 8th grade reading and math compared with 2009, in both cases climbing 4 points. The state also saw 2-point gains in 4th grade reading and math, but neither was deemed statistically significant.
Keith W. Rheault, Nevada’s superintendent of public instruction, who was invited to comment on this year’s results at a press conference scheduled for this morning, said in prepared remarks that he was pleased to see the gains in his state, especially amid challenging economic times."
Given that the educational news about Nevada is usually so grim, I thought it worth a mention. Recent NAEP data is here: http://www.nationsreportcard.gov/

Math & vocabulary performance of children receiving preschool Special Ed

A Longitudinal View of the Receptive Vocabulary and Math Achievement of Young Children with Disabilities, was released by the National Center for Special Education Research and is available for download at: http://ies.ed.gov/ncser/pubs/20113006/
The report "describe[s] how children who received preschool special education services perform over time on assessments of receptive vocabulary and math skills. It also describes how their receptive vocabulary and math performance vary over time by primary disability category."

WWC comparison of elementary math programs

photo © 2011 Caroline (via: Wylio)
"The study examined the relative effectiveness of four early elementary school math curricula: Investigations in Number, Data, and Space; Math Expressions; Saxon Math; and Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley Mathematics.
The study analyzed data on more than 8,000 first- and second-grade students in 110 schools in 12 districts in 10 states....

more info
For first graders, the authors found no statistically significant differences in student math achievement among the curricula after adjusting results for multiple curricula comparisons within the same analysis.

For second graders, one difference was statistically significant after taking multiple curricula comparisons into account. Second-grade students attending Saxon Math schools scored 0.17 standard deviations higher than students attending Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley Mathematics schools, roughly equivalent to moving a student from the 50th to the 57th percentile in math achievement."
Additional information about the programs studied is here:
http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/publications/quickreviews/QRReport.aspx?QRId=170

A wealth of data: Create your own tables!

"The International Data Explorer (IDE) has been updated to include data from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2007. The TIMSS IDE allows users to create statistical tables and charts based on data for the United States and 57 other jurisdictions. Results include mathematics and science achievement of fourth and eighth-grade students; responses to student questionnaires about their background, attitudes, and school experiences; responses to a teacher questionnaire about instructional practices, resources, and background and training; and responses to a school questionnaire about school characteristics and resources.

The TIMSS IDE can be accessed at
http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/international/ide/

Data from earlier administrations of TIMSS in 1995, 1999, and 2003 will be added in the future, allowing users to examine trends in student performance across a large number of countries and other education jurisdictions."

12th grade math and reading scores published

NAEP has provided national scores for 12th graders in math and reading.
Highlights of the results include:

• The overall average reading score for 12th graders was 2 points higher than in 2005, but 4 points lower than in 1992.
• There were no significant changes from 1992 to 2009 in the reading score gaps between White and Black students or between White and Hispanic students.  In mathematics, the overall average score was 3 points higher in 2009 than in 2005.
• There was no significant change from 2005 in the mathematics score gaps between White and Black students or between White and Hispanic students.
• The percentage of 12th graders who expect to graduate from college increased from 58 percent in 2005 to 60 percent in 2009.
• In the 11 participating states, average reading scores in seven states were higher than the score for the nation, and scores for three states were lower; in mathematics, the average scores for six states were higher than the nation, and scores for three states were lower.

Scores should be viewed with qualifications since large numbers of ESL students and students with disabilities are excluded from reports. Also, states are not required to report 12th grade scores. And then there are all those students who don't make it to 12th grade or take the tests at all. I expect Dr. Loveless will have something to say about the scores at today's Brookings talk (Nov. 18) since he was interviewed by Education Week regarding the new report.

IES compares effectiveness of 4 early elementary math curricula

Four math curricula, (1) Investigations in Number, Data, and Space, (2) Math Expressions, (3) Saxon Math, and (4) Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley Mathematics (SFAW), were compared for effectiveness in the 1st and 2nd grades of 110 schools in 12 participating districts in 10 states. A brief overview of the findings and links to the full reports are located here: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20114001/

KIPP Middle Schools show positive results

According to this quick review fromt he What Works clearinghouse, charter schools using the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) showed favorable gains in math and reading skills when matched with students in public schools. The brief report is here: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/publications/quickreviews/QRReport.aspx?QRId=159

Elementary math package shows mixed results

This updated WWC Intervention Report reviews the research on Scott Foresman–Addison Wesley Elementary Mathematics, a core curriculum for students at all ability levels in prekindergarten through grade 6. The program focuses on developing questioning strategies and problem-solving skills and features embedded assessments and tailored exercises. The studies that meet WWC evidence standards included more than 2,800 elementary students from grades 1 through 5 in 49 schools. The schools were located in a mix of urban, suburban, and rural settings... Based on the review of the research, the WWC found the curriculum to have mixed effects on mathematics achievement for elementary school students.

Read the full report now at: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/reports/elementary_math/sfawem/

Common Core Standards issed

Links to downloadable versions of the Common Core Standards are available here: http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards

WWC evaluates Saxon Math textbook series for middle school

"Saxon Math is a textbook series covering grades K–12 based on incremental development and continual review of mathematical concepts to give students time to learn and practice concepts throughout the year. The series is aligned with standards of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and various states, and can be adapted for special education students in inclusion classrooms, pullout programs, or self-contained resource classrooms. Although content differs by course, the incremental, distributed approach of Saxon Math is the same, with mathematical concepts presented in a series of short “lessons” intended to gradually build understanding and previously-taught concepts practiced and assessed throughout the course. ...This report includes studies that investigate the potential impact of Saxon Math texts on math achievement of middle school students...

One study of Saxon Math meets What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) evidence standards, and four studies meet WWC evidence standards with reservations. The five studies included over 6,500 students from grades 6 to 8 in 52 schools in four states.

Based on these five studies, the WWC considers the extent of evidence for Saxon Math to be medium to large for math achievement."

Full report is linked here: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/reports/middle_math/saxon/

High quality schools CAN close the achievement gap for the poorest minority students

What Works Clearinghouse reviewed this study and found it to meet their evidentiary standards. This was a study of the Promise Academy Middle School in Harlem which provided:

• Extended school day and year with additional after-school tutoring and Saturday classes
• Intensive test preparation including morning, mid-day, after-school, and Saturday sessions
• Student incentives for high achievement, such as money and trips to France
• School health clinic provides students free medical, dental, and mental-health services

Sixth graders were admitted by lottery and showed significant improvements on math and English Language Arts on standardized tests by the 8th grade. The full report is here.
Citation:
Dobbie, W., & Fryer, R. G., Jr., (2009). Are high-quality schools enough to close the achievement gap? Evidence from a social experiment in Harlem. (NBER Working Paper No. 15473). Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research.

Study of reading and math software in the classroom

The study examined the effects of ten reading and mathematics software products on student achievement. The study analyzed data on more than 11,000 students in 400 classrooms and was conducted in 23 primarily urban, low-income school districts. The number of students in the analysis of each curriculum ranged from about 600 to about 2,600...the study found that one of six products reading products (LeapTrack^®, 4th grade) had positive effects on test scores; none of the four math products did.

This study met WWC standards and so the results are considered robust. As is most often the case, they find a lot out there that doesn't do what it's purported to...so WWC is a good place to check before investing in a new curriculum product. The brief review is here.

The complete citation is: Campuzano, L., Dynarski, M., Agodini, R., & Rall, K. (2009). Effectiveness of reading and mathematics software products: Findings from two student cohorts (NCEE 2009-4041). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education.

Read the executive summary here.

Culture and the Interaction of Student Ethnicity with Reward Structure in Group Learning

Interesting study reviewed in the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC). Elementary students (4th & 5th grade) were randomly assigned to receive an individual reward, a reward based on group performance, or no reward. The evaluation found that individual rewards led to higher achievement among white students but lower performance among African- American students. This was a study of math learning skills (multiplication). The WWC brief review is here. The full citation is:
Hurley, E. A., Allen, B. A., & Boykin, A. W. (2009). Culture and the interaction of student ethnicity with reward structure in group learning. Cognition and Instruction, 27(2), 121–146.
The article is available through the libraries' electronic journal subscriptions.

K-12 draft standards available for feedback

This message forwarded from Tracy Gruber at the Nevada Dept. of Education...

"...the Nevada Department of Education is pleased to announce that the first official public draft of the K-12 standards as part of the Common Core State Standards Initiative were released today. NDE would like to encourage those interested to provide feedback on the standards by Friday, April 2, 2010, at http://www.corestandards.org/. At the website, a copy of the Mathematics and English Language Arts documents are provided, as well as a link to provide feedback. NDE encourages that you and your colleagues provide feedback on these documents. These draft standards, developed together with teachers, school administrators and experts, seek to provide a clear and consistent framework to prepare our children for college and the workforce. The standards define the knowledge and skills students should have within their K-12 education careers so that they will graduate high school able to succeed in entry-level, credit-bearing academic college courses and in workforce training programs. The standards are:

• Aligned with college and work expectations;
• Clear, understandable and consistent;
• Include rigorous content and application of knowledge through high-order skills;
• Build upon strengths and lessons of current state standards;
• Informed by other top performing countries, so that all students are prepared to succeed in our global economy and society; and
• Evidence- and research-based.

The final edition of the standards are expected to be released in early Spring." (end forwarded message)

Computerized math instruction beats out traditional classroom

A new study reported by the What Works Clearinghouse found that, "at the end of the school year students in classrooms using 'I Can Learn' scored higher onthe assessment of pre-algebra and algebra skills than students in traditional math classrooms. The growth was equivalent to moving a student from the 50th to the 57th percentile."
The study met WWC evidence standards and the full report is linked here.

Evaluation of primary grade math programs

The What Works Clearinghouse rarely finds that research meets their evidence standards and even when they do, there are seldom significant results, so this seemed worth passing along.

"This quick review looks at a study that examined the relative effectiveness of four widely used early elementary school math curricula: Investigations in Number, Data and Space; Math Expressions; Saxon Math; and Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley Mathematics. The study authors reported that first graders attending schools assigned to the Math Expressions and Saxon Math curricula scored significantly higher on math assessments than students attending schools assigned to the Investigations in Number, Data and Space or the Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley Mathematics. The WWC's assessment of this study determined that the research described in this report is consistent with WWC evidence standards. The study is a well-implemented randomized controlled trial.To view the full report please visit:http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/publications/quickreviews/QRReport.aspx?QRID=117

2009 NAEP Math report card is out

Links to the report are here.
Significant results for mathematics in 2009 include:

* For the first time since the assessment began, 4th graders showed no overall increase at the national level, although they scored significantly higher in 2009 than when the assessment began in 1990. For 8th graders, scores in 2009 were higher when compared to both 2007 and 1990. These nationwide patterns also held for most student subgroups. Findings regarding students performing at or above the NAEP achievement levels mirror those of the scale scores at both grades.

* Compared to 2007, five states and jurisdictions made gains at both grades 4 and 8, three states increased at grade 4 only, and ten increased at grade 8 only. Scores declined in four states at grade 4, while no state declined at grade 8.

U.S. Performance Across International Assessments of Student Achievement

This Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2009, for the first time, pulls together the evidence from the most recent international assessments taken by nearly a million students from 85 countries worldwide. This includes three internationally benchmarked exams -- the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)--to reveal how the United States compares with other countries across all three core subjects (math, science, reading) at the elementary, middle and high school level in terms of students' average scores and the percentage of students reaching internationally benchmarked performance levels. It also examines trends in U.S. student performance and the range of performance for the highest- and lowest-scoring students in each country.
The executive summary with major findings as well as links to the full text of the report is available here: http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/2009/analysis/

NAEP at a glance

"The Nation's Report Card: 2007 At A Glance" is a new brochure that provides an overview of the NAEP activities surrounding the math, reading, and writing assessments. "At a Glance" summarizes the results of each 2007 assessment for the nation, states, and selected urban districts [Las Vegas is not one of the 11 urban districts reported--pm].

The results presented in "At a Glance" examine the change over time in average scores for all students, in addition to the changes in the gender and racial/ethnic achievement gaps observed in the 2007 assessments. The brochure pairs these results with instructive graphics to help you understand the findings. "At a Glance" also notes how many students at each grade level participated in the assessments and breaks down percentages of certain demographic details of participants, including race/ethnicity, school type, and percentage of accommodated students. Find the "At a Glance" publication at
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2009486

Guide on using RTI for students struggling with math

"Assisting Students Struggling with Mathematics: Response to Intervention (RtI) for Elementary and Middle Schools." This new guide from the What Works Clearinghouse provides eight specific recommendations intended to help teachers, principals, and school administrators use Response to Intervention (RtI) to identify students who need assistance in mathematics, and to address the needs of these students through focused interventions. The guide also describes how to carry out each recommendation, including how to address potential roadblocks in implementing them.
The guide is linked from this page:
http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/publications/practiceguides/#rti_math_pg