The Effects of Hybrid Algebra I on Teaching Practices, Classroom Quality, and Adolescent Learning
Study design
The study uses a two-cohort research design. In year 1, 25 Kentucky schools offering algebra I to students in grade 9 were recruited and randomly assigned to either 13 treatment or 12 control schools. In year 2, 16 new schools were recruited. In addition, six control schools from cohort 1 were re-randomized and included in cohort 2, to create a total sample of 47 schools across the two cohorts. Allowing for as much as 20 percent attrition from the randomized groups yields a conservatively projected sample of 38 schools, with an estimated 6,000 students, equally divided between treatment and control status. The minimum detectable effect size is 0.22.
All algebra I classes in a treatment school are assigned to their school's treatment condition. Most of the schools are in rural districts. More than 90 percent of students in the participating schools are White, and almost half are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Year 1 of the intervention includes teacher professional development that begins in the summer and continues throughout the school year as teachers implement the instructional practices. In year 2 of the intervention, treatment schools continue to follow the hybrid instructional model and have access to resources and technical support from the Kentucky Department of Education. But no formal professional development takes place after year 1. This is a year-long intervention that schools are permitted to use without any additional cost for two years.