Overview

Saxon Elementary School Math, published by Harcourt Achieve, is a core curriculum for students in kindergarten through grade 5. A distinguishing feature of Saxon Elementary School Math is its use of a distributed approach, as opposed to a chapter-based approach, for instruction and assessment. The program is built on the premise that students learn best when instruction is incremental and explicit, previously learned concepts are continually reviewed, and assessment is frequent and cumulative. At each grade level, math concepts are introduced, reviewed, and practiced over time in order to move students from understanding to mastery to fluency. For grades K–3, the Saxon Elementary School Math curriculum emphasizes hands-on activities and teacher-directed math conversations that engage students in learning. The curriculum for grades 4–5 also uses math conversations to introduce new concepts, but shifts the focus to student-directed learning.

Research

One study of the Saxon Elementary School Math program met the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) evidence standards with reservations. The study included students in grades 1–8 from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds and attending 342 schools across the state of Georgia. This report focuses only on findings for grades 1–5. ¹

The WWC considers the extent of evidence for Saxon Elementary School Math to be small for math achievement.

Effectiveness

The Saxon Elementary School Math was found to have no discernible effects on math achievement.