Intervention: Transition Mathematics

Intervention: Transition Mathematics
March 12, 2007

Effectiveness

Findings

The WWC review of interventions for middle school math addresses student outcomes in the mathematics achievement domain.

Baker (1997) reported that Transition Mathematics students scored lower than Expert Mathematician students on the Objectives by Strand test, but that the difference was not statistically significant. ⁵ The WWC confirmed that the difference was not statistically significant, but found that it was large enough to be considered substantively important according to WWC criteria.

Hedges et al. (1986) reported Transition Mathematics classrooms scored statistically significantly higher than comparison classrooms on three outcomes: the Orleans-Hanna Algebra Prognosis test, the High School Subjects Test: General Mathematics, and the Geometry Readiness test. The WWC analysis confirmed these results for the Geometry Readiness test, but found no statistically significant differences for the Orleans- Hanna Algebra Prognosis test and the General Mathematics test. ⁶

Thompson et al. (2005) examined student outcomes using the High School Subjects Test: General Mathematics, Geometry Readiness test, Algebra Readiness test, and Problem-Solving and Understanding test. The study reported a statistically significant difference favoring the Transition Mathematics group on the Geometry Readiness test, but this difference was not statistically significant according to WWC criteria. The study reported no statistically significant differences on the other measures. ⁷ The average effect size across all four student outcomes was neither statistically significant nor large enough to be considered substantively important (that is, at least 0.25).

In sum, of the three studies that examined the impact of the first and second editions of Transition Mathematics, one study showed a substantively important negative effect, one study showed a statistically significant positive effect, and one study showed an indeterminate effect.

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,⁸ the size of the difference between participants in the intervention and comparison conditions, and the consistency in findings across studies (see the WWC Intervention Rating Scheme).

⁵ Baker (1997) also reported statistically significant improvement between pretest and posttest experienced by both Transitional Mathematics and Expert Mathematician students. Expert Mathematician was reviewed by the WWC, and the findings of this review are presented in the WWC Expert Mathematician Intervention Report.
⁶ Hedges et al. (1986) also analyzed findings separately for students using calculators and students not using calculators. The WWC analysis confirmed a statistically significant positive effect for students using calculators.
⁷ This WWC review focuses on reported results from the study that use all items in the study measures. The study also examined performance on subsets of items of the General Mathematics test and the Algebra Readiness test that were aligned with the mathematics content that students had the opportunity to learn in class—those subsets of items are referred to in the study as "fair test" and "conservative test." The study reported a statistically significant positive effect of the Transition Mathematics curriculum using both the fair and conservative versions of the Algebra Readiness test, but no statistically significant effects using the fair and conservative versions of the General Mathematics test.
⁸ The level of statistical significance was reported by the study authors or, where 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. See Technical Details of WWC-Conducted Computations for the formulas the WWC used to calculate the statistical significance. In the case of Transition Mathematics, corrections for clustering and multiple comparisons were needed for part of the studies reviewed. See WWC Transition Mathematics Technical Appendices for further details.

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Effectiveness

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Rating of effectiveness

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