Table of Contents
Abstract 3
1. Introduction 5
1.1 The Curricula 5
1.2 Prior Research 5
1.3 The Study 7
2. Method 8
2.1 Selecting States 8
2.2 Surveying Schools 8
2.3 Identifying Eligible Schools 9
2.4 Matching Reform and Comparison School-Grade Combinations 9
2.5 Exclusions, Missing Data, and Weights 11
3. Results 11
3.1 Comparisons by State-Grade Combination 12
3.2 Comparisons by Race/Ethnicity 16
3.3 Comparisons by Income 18
3.4 Comparisons by Gender 20
4. Conclusion 20
5. References 21
Appendix A 23
Appendix B 29
Appendix C 33
Tables 1–14
In 2000–2001, the ARC Center, located at the Consortium for Mathematics and Its Applications (COMAP)
[http://www.comap.com/elementary/projects/arc/], 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.
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