Testing the Efficacy of a Tier 2 Mathematics Intervention: A Conceptual Replication Study
Doabler, Christian T.; Clarke, Ben; Kosty, Derek B.; Kurtz-Nelson, Evangeline; Fien, Hank; Smolkowski, Keith; Baker, Scott K. (2016). Exceptional Children v83 n1 p92-110. Retrieved from: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED578194
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examining301Students, gradeK
Single Study Review
Review Details
Reviewed: July 2021
- Single Study Review (findings for ROOTS)
- Randomized Controlled Trial
- Meets WWC standards without reservations because it is a randomized controlled trial with low attrition.
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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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Stanford Early School Achievement Test (SESAT) |
ROOTS vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
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463.75 |
451.90 |
Yes |
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| Show Supplemental Findings | |||||||||
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Stanford Achievement Test, 10th Edition (SAT-10): Math Problem Solving & Math Procedures Raw Score |
ROOTS vs. Business as usual |
6 Months |
Full sample;
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497.09 |
495.45 |
No |
-- | ||
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Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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ROOTS Assessment of Early Numeracy Skills |
ROOTS vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
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24.31 |
17.34 |
Yes |
|
|
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Assessing Student Proficiency in Early Number Sense (ASPENS) |
ROOTS vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
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89.10 |
63.97 |
Yes |
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Number Sense Brief (NSB) |
ROOTS vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
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19.71 |
17.01 |
Yes |
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Test of Early Mathematical Ability (TEMA-3) |
ROOTS vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
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26.48 |
23.27 |
Yes |
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Oral Counting - Early Numeracy Curriculum-Based Measure |
ROOTS vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
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45.83 |
41.31 |
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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24% English language learners -
Female: 50%
Male: 50% -
Suburban, Urban
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Massachusetts
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Race Asian 1% Black 6% Native American 0% Other or unknown 4% White 89% -
Ethnicity Hispanic 50% Not Hispanic or Latino 50%
Study Details
Setting
The study took place in 36 kindergarten classrooms in 9 urban and suburban public schools located in 2 school districts in Boston, Massachusetts. The majority (32 of 36) of the kindergarten classrooms were full-day programs while the remaining 4 kindergarten classrooms were half-day programs.
Study sample
A total of 301 kindergarten students were included in the study. Students who needed additional math support were eligible for the study based on two standardized assessments: students scoring below 20 on the Number Sense Brief (NSB) assessment and scoring in the “strategic” or “intensive” range on the Assessing Student Proficiency in Early Number Sense (ASPENS) composite score. The 10 students from each classroom scoring the lowest on the two assessments were eligible. Approximately half of the students were male, 24% were English learners, and 10% were eligible for special education. Eighty-nine percent were White, 6% were Black, 1% were Asian, and 4% were another race or more than one race. Approximately half of the students were Hispanic or Latino.
Intervention Group
ROOTS is a supplemental math instruction program intended for students who need additional math support. Using the ROOTS program, an instructional assistant provides instruction on number sense and whole number concepts including counting, cardinality, number operations, base 10, and place value. The program is offered in addition to the usual mathematics instruction. In this study, students in the intervention group took part in 50 small group sessions lasting 20 minutes over the course of a 10-week period (one session per day). ROOTS was offered in two small group formats, with either two or five kindergarten students assigned to one instructor. Instructional assistants employed by the school district delivered ROOTS in this study.
Comparison Group
Kindergarten students assigned to the comparison group received their usual math instruction which included instruction on counting and cardinality, number operations, and base 10.
Support for implementation
The instructional assistants who administered ROOTS received two 5-hour long professional development workshops. These workshops focused on instructional objectives and content and included opportunities for the instructional assistants to practice and receive feedback. During the intervention, ROOTS coaches visited the classrooms to observe the instructional assistants and provide feedback. Instructional assistants received an average of two ROOTS coaching visits during the intervention.
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.
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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.
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Study findings for this report.
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as defined in the
non-regulatory guidance for ESSA
and the regulations for ED discretionary grants (EDGAR Part 77).