Accelerating Mathematics: Findings from the AMP-UP Program at Bergen Community College
Douglas, Daniel; McKay, Heather; Edwards, Renee (2020). Retrieved from: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED608780
-
examining233Students, gradePS
Single Study Review
Review Details
Reviewed: November 2021
- Single Study Review (findings for Alternatives to Mathematics Education: An Unprecedented Program (AMP-UP))
- 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
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Degree completion |
Alternatives to Mathematics Education: An Unprecedented Program (AMP-UP) vs. Business as usual |
3 Years |
Full sample;
|
20.00 |
11.00 |
No |
-- |
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Number of college credits |
Alternatives to Mathematics Education: An Unprecedented Program (AMP-UP) vs. Business as usual |
2 Years |
Full sample;
|
29.78 |
23.59 |
No |
-- | ||
| Show Supplemental Findings | |||||||||
|
Number of terms enrolled |
Alternatives to Mathematics Education: An Unprecedented Program (AMP-UP) vs. Business as usual |
2 Years |
Full sample;
|
3.60 |
3.30 |
No |
-- | ||
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Completed college-level math course |
Alternatives to Mathematics Education: An Unprecedented Program (AMP-UP) vs. Business as usual |
2 Years |
Full sample;
|
66.00 |
33.00 |
Yes |
|
|
|
| Show Supplemental Findings | |||||||||
|
Completed developmental math course |
Alternatives to Mathematics Education: An Unprecedented Program (AMP-UP) vs. Business as usual |
2 Years |
Full sample;
|
78.20 |
64.90 |
Yes |
|
||
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: 48%
Male: 52% -
- B
- A
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- I
- H
- J
- K
- L
- P
- M
- N
- O
- Q
- R
- S
- V
- U
- T
- W
- X
- Z
- Y
- a
- h
- i
- b
- d
- e
- f
- c
- g
- j
- k
- l
- m
- n
- o
- p
- q
- r
- s
- t
- u
- v
- x
- w
- y
New Jersey
Study Details
Setting
The study was conducted at Bergen Community College, a public community college in New Jersey.
Study sample
The study sample consisted of first-time students at Bergen Community College who are required to take developmental mathematics and who earned a minimum Accuplacer score of 30 in Arithmetic, 40 in Algebra, and 160 in English. The study excluded students who intended to pursue four-year programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); business; or health science fields, as the accelerated math sequence does not align with the math course sequence for these majors. Almost half (48%) of students were female, 50% were Black or Hispanic, 39% were White or Asian, and 42% were Pell grant recipients.
Intervention Group
Intervention group students who place into a two-course developmental math sequence beginning with arithmetic are required to complete a self-paced Summer Bridge course taken prior to their first term of enrollment in the college. This summer bridge program is provided in a self-paced, online format using the ALEKS instructional software. If completed, the students then continue to a 7.5-week accelerated developmental algebra course and, if completed, a 7.5-week college-level mathematics course.
Comparison Group
Students in the comparison group have access to the standard developmental and college-level mathematics course sequences available to all students at Bergen Community College.
Support for implementation
No additional information was provided.
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.
The WWC may review studies for multiple purposes, including different reports and re-reviews using updated standards. Each WWC review of this study is listed in the dropdown. Details on any review may be accessed by making a selection from the drop down list.
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).