Project Activities
The four datasets to be used in this study contain classroom observation data, student reading and mathematics achievement data, and contextual information related to schools, teachers, classrooms, and students. The researchers will test associations between quantity of instruction, rate of instructional interactions, and classroom quality (as measured through coded classroom observations) and student performance to identify the most promising strategies for particular student needs. The research team will obtain feedback from a technical working group regarding the theory of change, analyses, and interpretation of the findings, and will disseminate findings widely to both educators and researchers.
Structured Abstract
Sample
The sample consists of 1,414 early elementary (kindergarten, 1st, 2nd) and late elementary / middle school (6th, 7th, 8th) classrooms from 178 schools, and approximately 16,000 elementary and middle school students. Students include those on track for academic success and those at risk for academic difficulty. Participating students were also ethnically and linguistically diverse.
Intervention
Researchers will test how the relationships between quantity of instruction, rate of instructional interactions, and classroom quality on student reading and mathematics achievement vary across content areas, grade levels, instructional formats, and language of instruction.
Research design and methods
Researchers will develop a standardized structure for the four datasets and then test a series of hypothesized models that include moderators and mediators to identify malleable variables. This study will extend the results of the well-known Gates Foundation supported Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) study by (a) including incidence rates of key instructional interactions in addition to global ratings, and (b) examining how effective classroom instruction translates into increased achievement for different types of students.
Control condition
There is no comparison group for this study of statistical associations.
Key measures
The two primary instruments used in all four of the studies are the Classroom Observations of Student-Teacher Interactions (COSTI) and Ratings of Classroom Management and Instructional Support (RCMIS). Outcomes are student scores collected across the four studies on various mathematics, literacy, and English language achievement tests (SAT-10, DIBELS, TIMA-3, EN-CBM, OAKS-R, PRF, and Aprenda-3). Other student and classroom characteristics will also be included in the statistical models.
Data analytic strategy
This study uses secondary analyses of data from four randomized control trials. Researchers will use multi-level structural equation modeling of the association of instructional quantity and quality on student achievement, net of prior achievement, regardless of intervention group status.
People and institutions involved
IES program contact(s)
Products and publications
Products: Researchers will provide preliminary evidence of promising instructional practices to improve student achievement in reading and mathematics. Researchers will use the University of Oregon's Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) Data System (CDS) to disseminate project findings to educators in more than 15,000 schools. In addition, researchers will produce peer reviewed publications.
Journal article, monograph, or newsletter
Doabler, C.T., Clarke, B., Stoolmiller, M., Kosty, D., Fien, F., Smolkowski, K., and Baker, S.K. (2016). Explicit Instructional Interactions: Exploring the Black Box of a Tier 2 Mathematics Intervention . Remedial and Special Education, 38(2): 98-110.
Doabler, C. T., Nelson, N. J., Kennedy, P. C., Stoolmiller, M., Fien, H., Clarke, B., ... & Baker, S. K. (2018). Investigating the Longitudinal Effects of a Core Mathematics Program on Evidence-Based Teaching Practices in Mathematics. Learning Disability Quarterly.
Doabler, C. T., Stoolmiller, M., Kennedy, P. C., Nelson, N. J., Clarke, B., Gearin, B., ... & Baker, S. K. (2018). Do Components of Explicit Instruction Explain the Differential Effectiveness of a Core Mathematics Program for Kindergarten Students With Mathematics Difficulties?: A Mediated Moderation Analysis.
Related projects
Supplemental information
Co-Principal Investigator: Nelson, Nancy; Stoolmiller, Michael; Baker, Scott K.
- identify features of effective reading and mathematics instruction that can be incorporated into the design of reading and math interventions;
- generate evidence for improving professional development for teachers; and
- contribute to the development and use of classroom observation measures that document the types of variables that correlate with student and teacher performance outcomes.
Questions about this project?
To answer additional questions about this project or provide feedback, please contact the program officer.
