“The Power of Three” – NEA Innovation Grant for Math (2003-2004)

Three Reading BoysHaving seen how well peer-tutoring worked for reading, and how well hands-on instruction was helping my math students, I started a math lab combining the two strategies. We took several fourth graders who had trouble with basic math and paired them up once a week with fifth and sixth grade math whizzes. The project didn’t last long, because each child had different holes in his or her math background, and I wasn’t able to individualize well enough. But what if I had a computer-assisted math program that would do the individualizing for me?

The next year, we began “The Power of Three” project. We wrote a grant that combined peer-tutoring, using hands-on manipulatives, and a computer-assisted math program called “Accelerated Math” (AM) to individualize. AM tested the students and printed packets for the concepts they needed to work on. We then partnered the struggling students with competent math students who would coach them with manipulatives as they worked on the packet. AM did all the correcting and tracking for us.

Results:

Fourth Graders (7 students)

  • Growth on Oregon State Assessment Test (OSAT) in Math = +9.5 RIT points
  • Growth on STAR Math Test = +1.3 grades
  • Change of percentile ranking on STAR Math Test increased +21 percentage points
  • One student “Exceeded Standard” on the OSAT Math test, two “Met Standard,” and four “Did Not Meet,” but came much closer.

Fifth Graders (6 students)

  • Growth on Oregon State Assessment Test in Math = +16 RIT points
  • Growth on STAR Math Test = +.7 grades
  • Change of percentile ranking on STAR Math Test increased +5 percentage points
  • One student “Exceeded Standard,” and five students “Met Standard” on the OSAT Math Test

Sixth Graders (9 students)

  • Growth on Oregon State Assessment Test in Math = +10 RIT points
  • Growth on STAR Math Test = +1.5 grades
  • Change of percentile ranking on STAR Math Test increased +16 percentage points
  • Two students “Exceeded Standard” on the OSAT Math test, four “Met Standard,” and three “Did Not Meet” but came within a few points.

* See Glossary