Project Background
The COVID-19 pandemic led to significant unfinished learning among elementary school students, particularly in math. By some estimates, the pandemic has left struggling students as many as nine months behind. These unprecedented disruptions have put teachers in a tough position: teachers still need to teach grade level math content but now also support students’ increasingly unique needs as they catch up. Educators need tools to dramatically accelerate math learning. Digital math products that supplement core teacher instruction are a promising option backed by multiple research studies. Yet, there is still much to learn about their effectiveness and open questions about how they can be most helpful for students.
The ReSolve Math Study will determine how best to use high-quality digital math products to accelerate 4th and 5th grade students’ math learning. The study team will be working with two digital math products, Curriculum Associates’ i-Ready and Personalized Instruction and Renaissance Learning’s Star Math Assessment and Freckle. Starting in Fall 2024, participating schools will receive two years of free access to one of the two products and the study team will study their effects on student learning.
What Participation Looks Like
Participating schools will receive licenses and associated teacher training for one of the two study products. All 4th and 5th grade students in participating schools will receive access to the product’s adaptive learning platforms that tailor instruction to students’ individual needs. To permit the study to generate evidence on how best to accelerate math learning, the study team will use a lottery to assign students to one of two instructional modes on the product’s learning platform.
Teachers of 4th and 5th grade will:
Set aside 60 minutes per week for their students to use the study’s digital math products during the school day.
Participate in light training (e.g.,during the summer and fall) on the product.
Receive support from Digital Promise as needed to ensure they’re using the products as intended.
School and district leaders will:
Support teacher and student usage of the product.
Work with the study team to coordinate teacher training and encourage full attendance.
Cooperate with the study team to complete the project’s research activities including data collection.
Benefits of Participation
Free access to a high-quality digital math product for use by students and teachers for two years.
Free training and technical assistance for teachers and school leaders from product vendors and Digital Promise to support high-quality implementation.
Funds for districts and schools to help coordinate study activities, including data collection and payment of teachers for time in training.
Help accelerate student learning in math by providing students with personalized, engaging math instruction and activities.
Reduce teacher burnout in the classroom by providing teachers with real-time feedback on their students’ progress so they can optimize their instructional time.
Contribute critical data to understanding how best to catch students up at a national level while gaining important and actionable insight particular to your district.
ReSolve Math Study Criteria for Participation
The study team is looking to partner with districts that have Title I eligible elementary schools (must serve grades 4 & 5) meeting the following criteria:
50% or more 4th graders scoring below proficient on the latest state standardized math assessment (at least thirty students).
Would benefit from consistent, supported use of a high-quality math ed tech product.
