Effectiveness

Findings

The WWC review of elementary school math curriculum-based interventions addresses student outcomes in overall math achievement.

Resendez & Manley (2005) reported no significant effects of the Saxon Elementary School Math program on overall math achievement at grades 1–5. Using school-level data provided by the authors, the WWC confirmed that Saxon Elementary School Math did not have a statistically significant effect on math achievement at each grade level from first to fifth grade. Based on this study finding, the WWC categorized Saxon Elementary School Math as having no discernible effects on overall math achievement.

The WWC also calculated effect sizes and significance levels for subtests of the Georgia CRCT using school-level data provided by the authors. The WWC found significant effects of Saxon Elementary School Math on patterns, relations, and algebra at grade 2. For grade 4 the WWC found statistically significant effects of Saxon Elementary School Math on computations and estimation, and problem solving. Subtest results were not included in the WWC’s rating of effectiveness.

Rating of effectiveness

The WWC rates the effects of an intervention in a given outcome domain as: positive, potentially positive, mixed, no discernible effects, potentially negative, or negative. The rating of effectiveness takes into account four factors; the quality of the research design, the statistical significance of the findings (as calculated by the WWC⁴ ), the size of the difference between participants in the intervention and the comparison conditions, and the consistency in findings across studies (see the WWC Intervention Rating Scheme).