Study: 86422

Practice Guide

Review Details

Reviewed: February 2020

At least one finding shows promising evidence of effectiveness

At least one statistically significant positive finding

Meets WWC standards without reservations

For:

Practice Guide (findings for Targeted Math Intervention)

Using:

Rating:

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

General Mathematics Achievement outcomes—Indeterminate effect found for the domain
Outcome measure	Comparison	Period	Sample	Intervention mean	Comparison mean	Significant?	Improvement index	Evidence tier
MAP Mathematics	Targeted Math Intervention vs. (Not applicable)	0 Days	Full sample; 124 students	196.55	195.59	No	--

Whole Numbers Computation outcomes—Substantively important negative effect found for the domain
Outcome measure	Comparison	Period	Sample	Intervention mean	Comparison mean	Significant?	Improvement index	Evidence tier
Addition and Subtraction Number Combinations Automaticity	Targeted Math Intervention vs. (Not applicable)	0 Days	Full sample; 136 students	35.41	42.05	No	--

Whole Numbers Word Problems/Problem Solving outcomes—Statistically significant positive effect found for the domain
Outcome measure	Comparison	Period	Sample	Intervention mean	Comparison mean	Significant?	Improvement index
Mathematical WPS	Targeted Math Intervention vs. (Not applicable)	0 Days	Full sample; 136 students	10.24	10.16	Yes	1
Show Supplemental Findings
Mathematical WPS	Targeted Math Intervention vs. (Not applicable)	6 Weeks	Full sample; 136 students	10.67	10.33	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.

47% English language learners
Female: 61%
Male: 39%
Urban
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Midwest

Race
Asian		4%
Black		27%
Native American		5%
Other or unknown		43%
White		22%

Ethnicity
Hispanic		41%
Not Hispanic or Latino		59%

Study Details

Setting

The study includes 136 third grade students from 35 classrooms in 12 schools in 1 urban school district in the midwest.

Study sample

The student sample included 39% males and 61% females. 5.2% of students were American Indian, 3.7% Asian, 40.7% Hispanic, 26.7% African American, 21.5% Caucasian, 0.7% biracial, and 0.7% other. 78.7% of students were receiving free or reduced price lunch. 11.9% of students were in special education, and 46.7% of students were English language learners.

Intervention Group

Students in both conditions received 1 hour of core mathematics instruction from their classroom teachers. The core curriculum was Investigations in Number, Data, and Space (Technical Education Research Center, 2008). SBI intervention students also received 30 min of supplemental mathematics instruction using the assigned tutoring program (SBI) 5 days a week for 12 weeks from a trained tutor outside the classroom. The schema-based instruction (SBI) included 21 lessons from 5 units, with explicit instruction and guidance in solving one-step and two-step word problems using schematic diagrams and word problem checklists.

Comparison Group

Students received instruction in place value, addition and subtraction, and WPS strategies from their textbook. The SBC included lessons from the following units: Trading Stickers, Combining Coins; Collections and Travel Stories; Stories, Tables, and Graphs; and How Many Hundreds? How Many Miles?

Support for implementation

SBC tutors received 1 day of tutoring, and SBI tutors received 2 days of training. SBC tutoring included 3 topics: an explanation of the district-adopted third-grade mathematics program content and instructional strategies; discussion of how students might approach the problems presented in the program and techniques for analyzing student solutions, explanations, and difficulties; and guidance to use the program’s mathematical tools and materials. SBI tutoring included 2 topics: a description and review of the curriculum and materials; and guidance to implement essential aspects of the curriculum (e.g., explicitly modeling think-aloud problem-solving behaviors, providing feedback, monitoring student performance, facilitating student think-alouds to reflect on and monitor the problem-solving processes).

Impact of Small-Group Tutoring Interventions on the Mathematical Problem Solving and Achievement of Third-Grade Students with Mathematics Difficulties [Word problem intervention vs. control]