Intervention: Connected Mathematics Project (CMP)

Intervention: Connected Mathematics Project (CMP)
January 2010

Effectiveness

Findings

The WWC review of interventions for middle school math addresses student outcomes in the math achievement domain. The findings below present the authors’ estimates and WWC-calculated estimates of the size and the statistical significance of the effects of CMP on students.⁷

Math achievement

Schneider (2000) reported negative but not statistically significant effects of CMP on pass rates for the math portion of the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) for cohorts 1 and 2 separately.⁸ After adjusting for differences between the CMP and comparison groups at baseline, the WWC determined that these separate effects for cohorts 1 and 2 were neither statistically significant nor substantively important according to WWC criteria (an effect size greater than 0.25 in absolute value). The WWC also calculated the sample-weighted average effect for cohorts 1 and 2.⁹ This average effect was neither statistically significant nor substantively important according to WWC criteria.

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, the size of the difference between participants in the intervention and the comparison conditions, and the consistency in findings across studies (see the WWC Procedures and Standards Handbook, Appendix E).

⁷ The level of statistical significance was reported by the study authors or, when necessary, calculated by the WWC to correct for clustering within classrooms or schools and for multiple comparisons. For an explanation, see the WWC Tutorial on Mismatch. For the formulas the WWC used to calculate the statistical significance, see WWC Procedures and Standards Handbook, Appendix C for clustering and WWC Procedures and Standards Handbook, Appendix D for multiple comparisons. In the case of Schneider (2000), no corrections for clustering or multiple comparisons were needed.
⁸ Schneider (2000) also included a student-level analysis of Texas Learning Index (TLI) scores, a TAAS statistic designed for comparisons between TAAS administrations and between grades. Because the student-level intervention and comparison groups were not shown to be equivalent at baseline, this analysis was not included in this WWC review.
⁹ The sample-weighted average of the cohort 1 and 2 effects calculated by the WWC was used in the intervention rating and is reported in Appendix A3. Separate findings for cohorts 1 and 2 are reported in Appendix A4.

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