Effectiveness¹

No studies of Singapore Math that fall within the scope of the Middle School Math review protocol meet What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) evidence standards. The lack of studies meeting WWC evidence standards means that, at this time, the WWC is unable to draw any conclusions based on research about the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of Singapore Math.

Program Description²

Singapore Math is a collection of math curricula originally developed by Singapore’s Ministry of Education and private textbook publishers for use in Singapore schools.³ Singapore Math curricula were developed under a national framework centered on problem solving that emphasizes computational skills as well as conceptual and strategic thinking processes. Compared to many U.S. textbooks, Singapore Math textbooks, particularly those intended for earlier grades, tend to provide more in-depth coverage of a relatively small number of topics. Curricula for the secondary level (for the Singapore Math collection of curricula, grades 7–10) follow a more integrated approach, where concepts and examples from algebra and geometry are introduced progressively at each grade level. Singapore Math textbooks emphasize problem-based development of mathematical concepts and use concrete illustrations to show how to solve multistep problems. The content framework covers topics in increasingly advanced detail in successive grades. There are several textbook options for students in the middle school grades. According to the United States distributor, the majority of U.S. middle schools using Singapore Math curricula use the New Elementary Mathematics series for grades 7–10.⁴ Other series for grades 7–10 include New Syllabus Mathematics, Discovering Mathematics, and New Mathematics Counts; some U.S. middle schools also use one of several Primary Mathematics series designed for grades 1–6. Each of the curricula intended for grades 7–10 incorporate algebra, geometry, and introductory trigonometry.⁵

The WWC identified 12 studies of Singapore Math that were published or released between 1983 and 2008.

Six studies are out of the scope of the review protocol because they have an ineligible design. Three studies have designs—such as a meta-analysis or research literature review—that are not primary analyses of the effectiveness of the intervention. Two studies do not use a comparison group. One study does not include enough information about its design to assess whether it was eligible for the review. Six studies are out of the scope of the review protocol for reasons other than study design. Four studies do not examine outcomes within a domain specified in the protocol. Two studies do not examine the effectiveness of an intervention.