Retrospective Study of the Effects of Accelerate Learning STEMscopes Science in Grade 5 on STAAR Science Achievement in 2018-2019
Cook, M., Humberstone,E., & Ross, S. (2023). Accelerate Learning. Available at https://acceleratelearning.com/research/.
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examining1,692Schools, grade5
Grant Competition
Review Details
Reviewed: December 2024
- Grant Competition (findings for STEMscopes Science curriculum)
- Quasi-Experimental Design
- Meets WWC standards with reservations because it uses a quasi-experimental design in which 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 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR): Science - Percentage of students whose proficiency is "Approaching" or higher |
STEMscopes Science curriculum vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Complete case sample;
|
N/A |
N/A |
No |
-- | ||
| Show Supplemental Findings | |||||||||
|
State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR): Science - Percentage of students whose proficiency is "Meets" or higher |
STEMscopes Science curriculum vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Complete Case sample;
|
N/A |
N/A |
No |
-- | ||
|
State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR): Science - Percentage of students whose proficiency is "Approaching" |
STEMscopes Science curriculum vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Complete Case sample;
|
N/A |
N/A |
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: 48%
Other or unknown: 52% -
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Texas
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Race Other or unknown 76% White 24% -
Ethnicity Hispanic 59% Other or unknown 41% -
Eligible for Free and Reduced Price Lunch Free or reduced price lunch (FRPL) 67% Other or unknown 33%
Study Details
Setting
All Texas schools that used at least 14 of 18 units from the STEMscopes Science curriculum in grade 5 in 2018-19, as well as matched comparison schools identified by propensity score matching procedures, participated in the study. STEMscopes Science was used by 2,379 schools across 427 districts in 2018-19.
Study sample
Of the 1,692 schools with complete data for grade 5 students, the authors reported that slightly less than half (49%) of the students were female, about two-thirds (67%) received free or reduced-price meals, 59% were Latino, and 24% were White.
Intervention Group
All Texas schools that used the STEMscopes Science curriculum (i.e., using at least 80% of STEMscope topics) in grade 5 in 2018-19 were considered treatment schools; no other details about treatment were provided.
Comparison Group
The comparison group included propensity score matched Texas schools that did not use the STEMscopes Science curriculum in grade 5 in 2018-19, and thus conducted business as usual.
Support for implementation
The report did not describe any support for implementation.
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).