WWC review of this study

Evaluating Math Recovery: Assessing the Causal Impact of a Diagnostic Tutoring Program on Student Achievement [Intensive one-to-one tutoring in arithmetical knowledge vs. control]

Smith, Thomas M.; Cobb, Paul; Farran, Dale C.; Cordray, David S.; Munter, Charles (2013). American Educational Research Journal, v50 n2 p397-428. Retrieved from: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1005742

  • Randomized Controlled Trial
     examining 
    775
     Students
    , grade
    1

Reviewed: July 2020

At least one finding shows moderate evidence of effectiveness
At least one statistically significant positive finding
Meets WWC standards with reservations
General Mathematics Achievement outcomes—Statistically significant positive effect found for the domain
Outcome
measure
Comparison Period Sample Intervention
mean
Comparison
mean
Significant? Improvement
    index
Evidence
tier

Math Recovery proximal assessment (MRp)

Targeted Math Intervention vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Full sample;
775 students

N/A

N/A

Yes

 
 
50
 

Math Recovery Initial Assessment (MR1.1)

Targeted Math Intervention vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Full sample;
759 students

N/A

N/A

Yes

 
 
33
 

Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Math Reasoning Test

Targeted Math Intervention vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Full sample;
775 students

N/A

N/A

Yes

 
 
10
 
Show Supplemental Findings

Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Applied Problems subtest

Targeted Math Intervention vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Full sample;
775 students

N/A

N/A

Yes

 
 
10

Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Quantitative Concepts

Targeted Math Intervention vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Full sample;
775 students

N/A

N/A

Yes

 
 
9
Whole Numbers Computation outcomes—Statistically significant positive effect found for the domain
Outcome
measure
Comparison Period Sample Intervention
mean
Comparison
mean
Significant? Improvement
    index
Evidence
tier

Woodcock Johnson Math - Math Fluency Subset

Targeted Math Intervention vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Full sample;
775 students

N/A

N/A

Yes

 
 
6
 


Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.

Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.


  • 15% English language learners

  • Female: 55%
    Male: 45%

  • Rural, Suburban, Urban
  • Race
    Other or unknown
    48%
    White
    52%

Setting

The two-year study took place in 20 elementary schools (5 urban, 10 suburban, and 5 rural) across five districts in two states. The tutoring intervention was delivered one-on-one in addition to normal class instruction.

Study sample

All students in the study were struggling in mathematics. Referring to the 1,027 students participating in the study at the time of randomization, 55 percent were female, 45 percent were male, 48 percent were a non-white minority, 15 percent had limited English proficiency, and 65 percent received free or reduce priced lunch.

Intervention Group

Students assigned to the intervention condition received Math Recovery which involved one-on-one tutoring from a certified teacher who worked with the student to improve their knowledge of arithmetic. Math Recovery is a diagnostic tutoring approach in which the tutors continuously assess the student’s progress using the Learning and Instructional Frameworks and engages them in tasks appropriate for their current knowledge and understanding--the tutors used the students pretest and other assessments over the course of the intervention period to determine the areas students most needed help with during tutoring. The six aspects of early number knowledge used in the Math Recovery Framework are: (1) stage of early arithmetical learning, (2) forward number word sequence, (3) backward number word sequence, (4) numeral identification, (5) base ten arithmetical strategies, and (6) structuring number. Tutoring session were 30-minutes in length, occurring 4-5 times a week for 12 weeks.

Comparison Group

The students who remained on the waitlist formed the comparison group; they received their normal classroom mathematics instruction with no supplemental Math Recovery tutoring.

Support for implementation

The training of the MR tutors involved 60 hours of professional development provided by an MR leader, which typically included an initial 5-day workshop during the summer followed by a three-day workshop conducted approximately three weeks into the school year after trainees had completed the assessment interviews with the students selected to participate in the program. The tutors of each district were also expected to meet as a cohort for two hours each month. The main goal of the training was to teach tutors to use the MR Learning and Instructional Frameworks to assess students’ arithmetical knowledge and to adjust instruction based on these evaluations by selecting tasks that are tailored to their current levels of arithmetical reasoning.

 

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