The i3 validation of SunBay Digital Mathematics
Sirinides, P. & Gray, A.M. (2018). CPRE Research Reports. https://repository.upenn.edu/cpre_researchreports/111/.
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examining45,235Students, grades6-8
Department-funded evaluation
Review Details
Reviewed: December 2021
- Department-funded evaluation (findings for SunBay Digital Mathematics)
- Randomized Controlled Trial
- Meets WWC standards with reservations because it is a cluster randomized controlled trial with a risk of bias from individuals who entered clusters after random assignment, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Florida Standards Assessment in Mathematics |
SunBay Digital Mathematics vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
326.96 |
327.99 |
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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Florida
Study Details
Setting
The study took place in two large Florida school districts that were selected because of their diverse, high-need populations. Sixty middle schools are included in the study: 30 treatment and 30 control schools. In total, there were 11 non-Title I schools in the intervention group, 12 non-Title I schools in the comparison group, 19 Title I schools in the intervention group, and 18 Title 1 schools in the comparison group. Students in grade 6 regular and advanced, grade 7 regular and advanced, and grade 8 regular instruction math classrooms participated in the study.
Study sample
Both school districts served predominantly high-need students. The "District A" student population was comprised of 32% Hispanic and 39% African American students, with 61% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. "District B" was comprised of 28% African American and 32% Hispanic students, with 59% eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Demographics of the student sample were not reported.
Intervention Group
SunBay Digital Mathematics is a whole-group, classroom-based, instructional program that integrates standards-based instruction, technology-based dynamic representations of middle-school math concepts, and teacher professional development aimed at supporting teachers’ use of new curricula and technology. The program consists of two-week units that are designed to support learning throughout the school year by building students’ understanding of foundational concepts. Students engage with these foundational concepts through online dynamic representations and collaboration with teachers and peers. The program is expected to improve math achievement for students in grades 6, 7, and 8 regular and advanced mathematics classes.
Comparison Group
Schools in the comparison condition engaged in business-as-usual math instruction, and teachers participated in business-as-usual professional development. Teachers likely taught as they had in the past.
Support for implementation
Teachers received 1.5 days of professional development over the summer to support their learning of SunBay Math as well as a half day of professional development before implementing each new unit. Classrooms were provided with laptops or tablets and internet access as well as student workbooks. Teachers received a Teacher Guide that supported their implementation of SunBay Math.
An indicator of the effect of the intervention, the improvement index can be interpreted as the expected change in percentile rank for an average comparison group student if that student had received the intervention.
For more, please see the WWC Glossary entry for improvement index.
An outcome is the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are attained as a result of an activity. An outcome measures is an instrument, device, or method that provides data on the outcome.
A finding that is included in the effectiveness rating. Excluded findings may include subgroups and subscales.
The sample on which the analysis was conducted.
The group to which the intervention group is compared, which may include a different intervention, business as usual, or no services.
The timing of the post-intervention outcome measure.
The number of students included in the analysis.
The mean score of students in the intervention group.
The mean score of students in the comparison group.
The WWC considers a finding to be statistically significant if the likelihood that the finding is due to chance alone, rather than a real difference, is less than five percent.
The WWC reviews studies for WWC products, Department of Education grant competitions, and IES performance measures.
The name and version of the document used to guide the review of the study.
The version of the WWC design standards used to guide the review of the study.
The result of the WWC assessment of the study. The rating is based on the strength of evidence of the effectiveness of the intervention. Studies are given a rating of Meets WWC Design Standards without Reservations, Meets WWC Design Standards with Reservations, or >Does Not Meet WWC Design Standards.
A related publication that was reviewed alongside the main study of interest.
Study findings for this report.
Based on the direction, magnitude, and statistical significance of the findings within a domain, the WWC characterizes the findings from a study as one of the following: statistically significant positive effects, substantively important positive effects, indeterminate effects, substantively important negative effects, and statistically significant negative effects. For more, please see the WWC Handbook.
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Tier 1 Strong indicates strong evidence of effectiveness,
Tier 2 Moderate indicates moderate evidence of effectiveness, and
Tier 3 Promising indicates promising evidence of effectiveness,
as defined in the
non-regulatory guidance for ESSA
and the regulations for ED discretionary grants (EDGAR Part 77).