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The ARC Center Tri-State Student Achievement Study

Students in grades 3–5 using McGraw Hill's Everyday Mathematics and other reform curricula outperformed matched peers on state math tests.

  • PreK-12
  • Education Research
  • 3rd Grade
  • 4th Grade
  • 5th Grade
  • Elementary School
  • Illinois
  • Massachusetts
  • Washington
  • Math
  • Everyday Mathematics
  • ESSA Tier II (Moderate)

Description

Article Abstract:

In 2000–2001, the ARC Center, located at the Consortium for Mathematics and Its Applications (COMAP), carried out a study of reform mathematics programs in elementary schools in Illinois, Massachusetts, and Washington. The study examined the performance of students using three elementary mathematics curricula—Everyday Mathematics; Math Trailblazers; and Investigations in Number, Data, and Space—on state-mandated standardized tests administered in spring 2000. The study included over 100,000 students, 51,340 students who had studied one of the three reform curricula for at least two years and 49,535 students from non-using comparison schools matched by reading level, socioeconomic status, and other variables. Small differences on the SES variables remaining between the reform schools and the matched comparison schools were further controlled by adjustments based on regression analyses. Usage of the reform curricula was verified by a telephone survey of schools and districts. Results show that the average mathematics scores of students in the reform schools are significantly higher than the average scores of students in their matched comparison schools. The results hold across five different state-mandated tests, and across topics ranging from computation, measurement, geometry, and algebra to problem solving and making connections. The study compared the scores on all the topics tested at all the grade levels tested (grades 3–5) in each of the three states. Of 34 comparisons across five state grade combinations, 28 favor the reform students, six show no statistically significant difference, and none favor the comparison students. The results also hold across all income and racial/ethnic subgroups, except for Hispanic students, where there are no significant differences between the scores.

Research Citation:

Sconiers, S., Isaacs, A., Higgins, T., McBride, J., & Kelso, C. R. (2003). The ARC Center Tri-State student achievement study: A report of the ARC Center at The Consortium for Mathematics and Its Applications (COMAP). COMAP, Inc.