Feasibility of an Evaluation of Promising 'Boost Up' Math Programs

Contractors: MDRC and AIR

Background/Research Questions:

Knowledge of math is critical in the current global economy, yet many students enter high school without a strong foundation in these skills. On the most recent NAEP, only about 30 percent of 8th grade students scored at or above the proficient level. Therefore, "boost up" math programs for struggling adolescents are in demand among high schools, including those with a popular reform model called "smaller learning communities" (SLCs). Since 2000, the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE)'s SLC program (funded at $80,107,636 in FY 2008), authorized by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, has awarded discretionary grants to school districts to support the implementation of SLCs and activities to improve student academic achievement in large public high schools. OESE has placed an "absolute priority" on accelerated instructional strategies that assist struggling learners with their reading/language arts and mathematics skills. To help fill the knowledge gap about what works, NCEE awarded a contract to assess the feasibility of evaluating the impact of programs designed to substantially improve the math skills of entering high school freshmen in SLCs. The key research questions include:

• Are there promising programs that purport to substantially improve the math skills of entering freshman students? Are the programs of sufficient intensity that they have the potential to affect students' math skills?
• What is the appropriate sample of schools/teachers/students for evaluation? At what level might random assignment be conducted? What measures are most appropriate to assess implementation and outcomes?

Design:

This feasibility study identified and described promising math programs and developed evaluation options. Programs were identified through Internet searches and contacts with appropriate individuals and organizations and descriptions of the programs were developed from program websites, available materials, and calls to select developers. A design document was developed that addresses evaluation design and feasibility issues including key questions, measures of impact, and challenges to implementing these options.

Duration: 15 months (September 2007–December 2008)

Current Status: The contract is complete.