Project Activities
The researchers will evaluate the efficacy of ROOTS for improving mathematics outcomes for students with or at risk for mathematics disabilities. ROOTS is designed to be a supplemental mathematics intervention or a Tier 2 intervention in a response to intervention model. Approximately 120 classes will be involved in the research. Within each class, 10 children with or at risk for mathematics disabilities will be identified through pre-intervention screening and randomly assigned to a no treatment control group, a high intensity ROOTS group, or a low intensity ROOTS group. Data will be analyzed in a multi-level framework to provide evidence of the efficacy of the ROOTS intervention for improving student outcomes in mathematics.
Structured Abstract
Setting
The research will be conducted in elementary schools in Massachusetts and Oregon.
Sample
The sample will consist of kindergarten students from economically and racially diverse communities in 120 kindergarten classrooms. Within each participating kindergarten classroom, 10 children with or at risk for mathematics disabilities will be identified through pre-intervention screening using a combination of mathematics proficiency measures and teacher input.
ROOTS is a fifty-lesson intervention program intended for use in intervention settings for students with or at risk for disabilities. ROOTS is designed to be aligned to the Common Core State Standards and provides instruction on number sense and whole number concepts including counting, cardinality, number operations, base 10, and place value. The project will compare two versions of the ROOTS intervention—a high intensity version with two students in each intervention group and a low intensity version with five students in each intervention group. Students will continue to receive core mathematics instruction in their general education kindergarten classroom in addition to the ROOTS intervention.
Research design and methods
A randomized controlled trial with three groups will be conducted. The study will take place in 120 kindergarten classrooms across four years, with 60 classrooms recruited and retained for two years each. Within classrooms, students will be randomly assigned to a no treatment control group, a high intensity ROOTS group, or a low intensity ROOTS group.
Control condition
Students assigned to the control condition will remain in the general education classroom and continue to receive their core mathematics instruction as approved by the participating school district.
Key measures
Pre- and post-intervention instruments include proximal and distal measures of student mathematics achievement. These include the Number Sense Brief Screen, Proximal Early Learning in Mathematics, the Test of Early Mathematics Ability-Third Edition, the Stanford Achievement Test-Tenth Edition, and the Early Numeracy-Curriculum Based Measurement. Classroom observations focused on fidelity of implementation and quality of instructional interactions will be conducted. Teacher and student demographic data will also be collected.
Data analytic strategy
Multilevel modeling that nests students within instructional groups will be used to determine whether either version of ROOTS produces better mathematics outcomes compared to the control condition and whether the two versions of the intervention lead to differences in mathematics outcomes. The researchers will also investigate whether initial skill level moderates intervention effects.
People and institutions involved
IES program contact(s)
Products and publications
Products: The expected outcomes of this research include evidence of the ROOTS intervention for improving kindergarteners' mathematics achievement, peer-reviewed publications, and presentations.
Book chapter
Clarke, B., Haymond, K., and Gersten, R.M. (2014). Mathematics Screening Measures for the Primary Grades. In R.J. Kettler, T.A. Glover, C.A. Albers, and K.A. Feeney-Kettler (Eds.), Universal Screening in Educational Settings: Evidence-Based Decision Making for Schools (pp. 199-221). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. doi:10.1037/14316-008
Clarke, B., Nelson-Walker, N.J., and Shanley, L. (2016). Mathematics Fluency: More Than the Weekly Timed Test. In K.D. Cummings, and Y. Petscher (Eds.), The Fluency Construct (pp. 67-89). New York: Springer.
Book chapter, edition specified
Clarke, B., Doabler, C.T., and Nelson, N.J. (2014). Best Practices in Mathematics Assessment and Intervention With Elementary Students. In A. Thomas, and P. Harrison (Eds.), Best Practices in School Psychology (6th ed., pp. 219-232). Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists.
Journal article, monograph, or newsletter
Clarke, B., Doabler, C. T., Kosty, D., Kurtz Nelson, E., Smolkowski, K., Fien, H., & Turtura, J. (2017). Testing the Efficacy of a Kindergarten Mathematics Intervention by Small Group Size. AERA Open, 3(2), 2332858417706899.
Clarke, B., Doabler, C., Smolkowski, K., Kurtz Nelson, E., Fien, H., Baker, S. K., & Kosty, D. (2016). Testing the immediate and long-term efficacy of a Tier 2 kindergarten mathematics intervention. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 9(4), 607-634.
Clarke, B., Doabler, C.T., Nelson, N.J., and Shanley, C. (2015). Effective Instructional Strategies for Kindergarten and First Grade Students At-Risk in Mathematics. Intervention in School and Clinic, 50(5): 257-265.
Clarke, B., Doabler, C.T., Smolkowski, K., Kosty, D.B., Baker, S.K., Fien, H., and Strand, C.M. (2016). Examining the Efficacy of a Tier 2 Kindergarten Mathematics Intervention. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 49(2): 152-165. doi:10.1177/0022219414538514
Gersten, R. M., Clarke, B., Jordan, N., Newman-Gonchar, R., Haymond, K., and Wilkins, C. (2012). Universal Screening in Mathematics for the Primary Grades: Beginnings of a Research Base. Exceptional Children, 78(4): 423-445.
Shanley, L., Clarke, B., Doabler, C. T., Kurtz-Nelson, E., & Fien, H. (2017). Early Number Skills Gains and Mathematics Achievement: Intervening to Establish Successful Early Mathematics Trajectories. The Journal of Special Education, 0022466917720455.
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