ASSISTments achieved a long-term effect comparable to high-dosage tutoring at a small fraction of the cost¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r3 · q2
Currency · newest study 2024 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

Reading the evidence codes

q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.

This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.

q2 i? Saga high-dosage tutoring cost $3,200 to $4,800 per student per year for a comparable delayed effect of 0.10 SD, while ASSISTments cost an estimated $46-$70 for a similar long-term effect. → Feng 2024

Evidence¶

Feng 2024¶

Feng, M., Weiser, G., & Collins, K. (2024). Cost and cost effectiveness of ASSISTments online math support: Analysis from a randomized controlled study in middle school. WestEd. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED655721

q2 · i? · causal · r3

The authors' benchmark comparison in the discussion, citing Guryan et al. (2023) for Saga tutoring costs of $3,200 to $4,800 per year per student for a comparable delayed effect of 0.10 standard deviation on a standardized test.

"In comparison, the estimated cost of ASSISTments during the study was only $46-$70 for the similar size of long-term effect on math achievement, highlighting the cost effectiveness of the ASSISTments program."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

Time and Continuity — moderator: an instructional effect differs with it

The cost-effectiveness ratio of ASSISTments is approximately $462.30 per student per standard deviation of long-term math achievement gain — related
ASSISTments use in seventh grade produces a statistically significant long-term math achievement effect of 0.10 SD one year after implementation ends — related
The Saga blended technology-enhanced tutoring model significantly improves standardized math scores, math GPA, and reduces math course failures (+0.19) — related
A second larger Chicago RCT finds significantly positive effects of Saga tutoring on end-of-year math achievement (ITT +0.14, TOT +0.40) — related
Implementing ASSISTments above business-as-usual cost about $207,794 across the study, or about $46.23 per student — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
ASSISTments use in grade 7 math homework produces a statistically significant long-term positive effect on grade 8 state test scores one year after the intervention ends — related
NBA Math Hoops can be implemented at low marginal cost: $17.85 per pupil (analytic sample) in materials and training beyond typical summer programming, yielding 0.19 SD math gain — related
NBA Math Hoops significantly improves elementary and middle school students' math achievement compared to business-as-usual summer STEM programming (0.19 SD gain) — related
A recent meta-analysis of 14 types of educational interventions found high-impact tutoring the most effective at improving student achievement — related
The partnership's long-term goal is that students can solve fraction computation and ratio and rate problems — related
Teacher time imposes no incremental cost for ASSISTments above business-as-usual instruction — related

Page metadata

Field	Value
`type`	`claim`
`id`	`assistments-cost-comparison-saga-tutoring`
`title`	`ASSISTments achieved a long-term effect comparable to high-dosage tutoring at a small fraction of the cost`
`description`	`ASSISTments achieved a long-term effect comparable to high-dosage tutoring at a small fraction of the cost`
`status`	`review`
`evidence_strength`	`weak`
`newest_evidence`	`2024`
`generated`	by `process:wiki-ingest` on `2026-10-09`
`trust`	unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
`sources`	1 — `feng-2024`

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