Project Activities
The team will use a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to test the impact of the PACT-L intervention. The study team will implement the random assignment with different cohorts of schools participating over 3 years. In addition to examining the impact of the intervention on student achievement outcomes, they will measure student motivation and engagement, examine questions of implementation fidelity and sustainability, and assess variability in impact across subgroups.
Structured Abstract
Setting
This project takes place in diverse districts including Boston Public Schools, District of Columbia Public Schools, and small districts in Missouri and Michigan. Approximately, 150 schools will participate over 3 years.
Sample
The final sample will include 225 social studies teachers and 20,250 eighth-grade students.
PACT integrates literacy instruction into American history content. Intervention materials include teacher lesson plans, student reading materials, videos, activity sheets, and assessments. Local coaches will support teachers' implementation of PACT through 2 days of training and 4 coaching sessions involving observations, modeling, and feedback provided to teachers. In the PACT-L TTT model, PACT developers will first train local coaches at an institute and provide ongoing virtual support.
Research design and methods
The study uses a cluster RCT in which schools are randomized to treatment and control groups. Schools will be blocked by average English Language Arts (ELA) standardized test scores using the 3 most recent years of scores prior to random assignment. In addition to examining content knowledge and comprehension outcomes, the study team will (1) measure student motivational and engagement outcomes in order to provide more information on the mechanism through which the intervention works, (2) study fidelity of the PACT-L TTT model, (3) investigate the degree to which PACT practices are sustained by teachers 1 year after training and coaching, and (4) examine impacts for high-need student subgroups.
Control condition
Schools in the control condition will use typical, business-as-usual curriculum and professional development.
Key measures
Student outcome measures include Gates-MacGinitie Reading Test (GMRT)– Fourth Edition, Test of Silent Contextual Reading Fluency (TOSCRF-2); PACT's Assessment of Social Studies Knowledge and Comprehension; the Modified Assessment of Social Studies Comprehension, which assesses content reading comprehension; and ELA state standardized tests. Researchers will also administer the Learning with Others survey, a student perception survey that measures engagement, intrinsic motivation, and self-efficacy.
Data analytic strategy
Researchers will use multilevel regression models, with students nested within teachers and schools, to identify intent to treat impact estimates. Researchers will use additional treatment-by-covariate interaction terms to identify any differential impacts for specific student groups. They will also use observations, logs, classroom recordings, interviews, and surveys to gather data on implementation and on the perceived facilitators of and challenges to implementing PACT-L.
Cost analysis strategy
Researchers will use the resource cost model to assess the costs of the PACT-L intervention and its cost-effectiveness in terms of potential improvements to eighth-grade students' outcomes.
People and institutions involved
IES program contact(s)
Project contributors
Products and publications
Products: The researchers will produce information about the effectiveness of the PACT-L intervention for improving student outcomes, as well as information about the costs and cost-effectiveness of the intervention. They will also prepare a released final data set, peer-reviewed publications, and materials to share their findings with education stakeholders.
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Questions about this project?
To answer additional questions about this project or provide feedback, please contact the program officer.
