"MyTeachingPartner--Math/Science" Pre-Kindergarten Curricula and Teacher Supports: Associations with Children's Mathematics and Science Learning
Kinzie, Mable B.; Whittaker, Jessica Vick; Williford, Amanda P.; DeCoster, Jamie; McGuire, Patrick; Lee, Youngju; Kilday, Carolyn R. (2014). Early Childhood Research Quarterly v29 p586-599 . Retrieved from: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED577452
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examining211Students, gradePK
Single Study Review
Review Details
Reviewed: April 2026
- Single Study Review (findings for MyTeachingPartner-Math/Science Plus Teacher Support)
- Randomized Controlled Trial
- Meets WWC standards without reservations because it is a cluster randomized controlled trial with low cluster-level attrition and individual-level non-response.
This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Findings
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Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Researcher-developed earth and physical science assessment |
MyTeachingPartner-Math/Science Plus Teacher Support vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
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41.03 |
40.51 |
No |
-- |
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Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Researcher-developed geometry and measurement assessment |
MyTeachingPartner-Math/Science Plus Teacher Support vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
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18.09 |
16.69 |
No |
-- |
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Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Researcher-developed life sciences assessment |
MyTeachingPartner-Math/Science Plus Teacher Support vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
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44.00 |
43.55 |
No |
-- | ||
| Show Supplemental Findings | |||||||||
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Researcher-developed life sciences assessment |
MyTeachingPartner-Math/Science Plus Teacher Support vs. MyTeachingPartner-Math/Science |
0 Days |
Full sample;
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44.07 |
42.94 |
No |
-- | ||
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Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Researcher-developed number sense and place value assessment |
MyTeachingPartner-Math/Science Plus Teacher Support vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
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31.48 |
29.93 |
No |
-- | |
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Test of Early Mathematics Ability - 3rd Edition (TEMA-3) |
MyTeachingPartner-Math/Science Plus Teacher Support vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
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19.30 |
19.54 |
No |
-- |
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Sample Characteristics
Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.
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Female: 50%
Male: 50% -
Urban
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District of Columbia, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia
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Race Black 62% Other or unknown 9% White 29%
Study Details
Setting
The study took place in 12 full-day preschools in a single school district in a large, Mid-Atlantic city.
Study sample
A total of 194 preschool students were included in the study. The 194 students were in 20 classrooms in 12 schools. Approximately 10 students in each classroom were randomly chosen to participate in the study. Approximately half of the students were male, and 62% were Black, 29% were White, and 9% were another race. The ethnicity of the students in the sample was not reported. English learners and students on Individualized Education Plans were excluded from the study. The researchers randomly assigned eight schools to the intervention group and eight schools to the comparison group (four schools left the study, two from the intervention group and two from the comparison group, after random assignment).
Intervention Group
Teachers in the intervention condition implemented the MyTeachingPartner-Math and Science curricula for prekindergarten instruction and also received enhanced supports for implementing the curricula described under support for implementation below. This intervention is referred to as MyTeachingPartner-Math and Science Plus Teacher Support. MyTeachingPartner-Math and Science are prekindergarten instructional curricula that make use of student-centered, structured inquiry in math and science. Topics addressed in the curricula include numbers, operations, geometry, measurement, life science, earth science, and physical science. Teachers were expected to offer two activities each week from the MyTeachingPartner-Math curriculum and two activities from the MyTeachingPartner-Science curriculum. Each activity had an expected class duration of 15-20 minutes. Each activity also had a four-step inquiry format, and teachers were provided with an activity script, questions, adaptations, and extensions for each activity. These activities were offered for 33 weeks across the school year. Activities were offered in whole-class or small-group format with additional weekly activity centers alternating between a math center and a science center each week. Classroom activities were supplemented with activity manipulatives and with preschool-appropriate books that highlighted math and science topics. The study did not describe whether teachers implemented all the activities for the planned amount of time.
Comparison Group
Students in the comparison group received business-as-usual preschool instruction in math and science, which was the HighScope preschool curriculum. Other math and science activities in classrooms were informed by the state preschool learning standards. Comparison teachers may have participated in other business-as-usual training and professional development offered by their schools or school districts. Supplemental findings compare the enhanced MyTeachingPartner-Math and Science Plus Teacher Support to the basic version of MyTeachingPartner-Math and Science without additional teacher support.
Support for implementation
Teachers in the intervention condition received enhanced implementation supports that may not be provided with the basic MyTeachingPartner-Math and Science curricula. These included a full day workshop prior to the 2009-10 school year, and seven 2.5 hour professional development workshops. In total, these activities provided up to 24 hours of professional learning for teachers. Teachers could access additional instructional supports online, including demonstration videos and brief teaching tip sheets. Additional materials were also embedded within the curricula and included support for asking open-ended questions, activity scripts, activity extensions, and strategies to differentiate activities for different student ability levels.
Single Study Review
Review Details
Reviewed: April 2026
- Single Study Review (findings for MyTeachingPartner-Math/Science)
- Randomized Controlled Trial
- Meets WWC standards with reservations because it is a cluster randomized controlled trial with high cluster-level attrition, but the analytic intervention and comparison groups satisfy the baseline equivalence requirement.
This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Findings
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Researcher-developed life sciences assessment |
MyTeachingPartner-Math/Science vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
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42.87 |
43.55 |
No |
-- |
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Sample Characteristics
Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.
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Female: 49%
Male: 51% -
Urban
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- B
- A
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- I
- H
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District of Columbia, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia
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Race Black 67% Other or unknown 8% White 25%
Study Details
Setting
The study took place in 14 full-day preschools in a single school district in a large, Mid-Atlantic city.
Study sample
A total of 211 preschool students were included in the study. The 211 students were in 24 classrooms in 14 schools. Approximately 10 students in each classroom were randomly chosen to participate in the study. Approximately half of the students were male; and 67% were Black, 25% were White, and 8% were another race. The ethnicity of the students in the sample is not reported. English learners and students with Individualized Education Programs were excluded from the study. The researchers randomly assigned eight schools to the intervention group and eight schools to the comparison group. Two schools left the study from the comparison group after random assignment.
Intervention Group
MyTeachingPartner-Math and Science are curricula for prekindergarten instruction that make use of student-centered, structured inquiry in math and science. Topics addressed in the curricula include numbers, operations, geometry, measurement, life science, earth science, and physical science. Teachers were expected to offer two activities each week from the MyTeachingPartner-Math curriculum and two activities from the Science curriculum. Each activity had an expected class duration of 15-20 minutes. Each activity had a four-step inquiry format, and teachers were provided with an activity script, questions, adaptations, and extensions for each activity. These activities were offered for 33 weeks across the school year. Activities were offered in whole-class or small-group format with additional weekly activity centers alternating between a math center and a science center each week. Classroom activities were supplemented with activity manipulatives and with preschool-appropriate books that highlighted math and science topics. The study did not describe whether teachers implemented all the activities for the planned amount of time.
Comparison Group
Students in the comparison group received business-as-usual preschool instruction in math and science, which was the HighScope preschool curriculum. Other math and science activities in classrooms were informed by the state preschool learning standards.
Support for implementation
Teachers in the intervention condition received materials that provided guidance on how to implement each activity. These materials were embedded within the curriculum and included support for asking open-ended questions, activity scripts, activity extensions, and strategies to differentiate activities for different student ability levels.
Practice Guide
Review Details
Reviewed: April 2026
- Practice Guide (findings for MyTeachingPartner—Math/Science)
- Randomized Controlled Trial
- Meets WWC standards with reservations because it is a cluster randomized controlled trial with high cluster-level attrition, but the analytic intervention and comparison groups satisfy the baseline equivalence requirement.
This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Findings
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Life Science Assessment |
MyTeachingPartner—Math/Science vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample of students in the Basic version of My TeachingPartner-Math/Science group and those in BAU group;
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42.81 |
43.55 |
No |
-- |
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Sample Characteristics
Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.
-
Female: 49%
Male: 52% -
Urban
-
Race Black 67% Other or unknown 8% White 25%
Study Details
Setting
The study took place in 16 full-day preschools in a single school district that served low-income families living in a large mid-Atlantic city. The study’s authors state that two of the preschools were subsequently dropped from the study due to lack of posttest data, thus leaving the total at 14 schools. A majority of the children were from low-income families, and the study operated within Title I schools, but specific percentages of free/reduced priced lunch are not provided.
Study sample
Students were excluded from the study if they were reported by their teachers to have an individualized education plan (IEP) for severe developmental delay or learning disorder or limited English proficiency. The weighted average of students in the intervention and the comparison conditions included 66.7% Black, 24.9% White, and 8.4% Other.
Intervention Group
The MyTeachingPartner-Mathematics/Science (MTP-M/S) curricula includes 66 activities. Each activity lasts about 15–20 minutes and can be delivered in either a whole-group or small-group format. In this study, intervention was delivered in whole-group format. Two activities are completed each week, for 33 weeks across the school year. MyTeachingPartner-Math/Science are curricula for pre-kindergarten instruction that make use of student-centered, structured inquiry in math and science. Topics addressed in the curricula include numbers, operations, geometry, measurement, life science, earth science, and physical science. Teachers were expected to offer two activities each week from the MyTeachingPartner-Math curriculum and two activities from the MyTeachingPartner-Science curriculum. Classroom activities were supplemented with activity manipulatives and with preschool-appropriate books that highlighted math and science topics.
Comparison Group
The teachers in the comparison group of schools followed business-as-usual (BAU) by using the district’s regular curriculum—HighScope.
Support for implementation
The intervention group received the MTP-M/S curricula and the teaching materials needed to implement the activities. The teaching materials provided strategies and models for teacher open-ended questions, activity scripts, activity extensions, and strategies to differentiate activities for different student ability levels.
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