An Evaluation of Number Rockets: A Tier 2 Intervention for Grade 1 Students At Risk for Difficulties in Mathematics
Data collection approach
All data collection occurred over the course of a single academic year (2008/09). Student roster and demographic information were acquired from districts in August and September 2008. Consent forms were distributed by the classroom teachers to students and parents in September and October.
In October and November 2008 all students with parental consent were assessed using the 25-minute, individually administered, six-subtest math screening test. The assessment teams consisted of individuals (the assessors) with bachelor degrees and experience in schools. Before the screening test was administered, the research team provided the assessment teams with a half-day training session that included peer practice and peer review. The results were reviewed for quality, and feedback was provided to the assessors within 24 hours of administering the screening tests. Assessors were not informed of schools' status (intervention or control).
During the intervention implementation fidelity was monitored through audio-recordings of all tutoring sessions by the tutors. The research team will assess 3 of each tutor's 48 sessions using a quality checklist aligned to critical components of the intervention. The tutors were not told which sessions were preselected for review. This information will be used to describe the quality of implementation of the intervention.
Posttests were conducted in April and May, depending on the district calendar. All students were individually administered one math outcome assessment (TEMA-3), as well as the Woodcock –Johnson III Letter-Word subtest to assess the impact of the small group tutoring intervention on reading achievement, which could have been affected when tutored students missed classroom instruction in areas other than math.