Reformed elementary schools made significant test-score improvements versus matched comparison schools, with gains growing gradually over four years¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · causal r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2013 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Elementary schools that underwent reform improved reading and math scores more than matched comparison schools, but improvements were only marginal in the first year and grew over four years. → de la Torre 2013 q3 i? Four years after intervention, the gap between reformed elementary schools and the system average decreased by nearly half in reading and almost two-thirds in math, net of student-population changes. → de la Torre 2013 (2)

Evidence¶

de la Torre 2013¶

de la Torre, M., Allensworth, E., Jagesic, S., Sebastian, J., & Salmonowicz, M.; with Meyers, C., & Gerdeman, R. D. (2013). Turning Around Low-Performing Schools in Chicago. University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research. https://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/turning-around-low-performing-schools-chicago-full-report

q3 · i? · causal · r2

Difference-in-difference comparison of reformed elementary schools against matched non-reformed schools with similar prior performance and student types, using standardized ITBS/ISAT scores in grades 3-8. The report finds "significant improvements in test scores compared with similar schools" but notes gains were not immediate.

"Elementary schools that went through reform made significant improvements in test scores compared with similar schools that did not; however, large improvements in achievement did not occur immediately."

de la Torre 2013 (2)¶

de la Torre, M., Allensworth, E., Jagesic, S., Sebastian, J., & Salmonowicz, M.; with Meyers, C., & Gerdeman, R. D. (2013). Turning Around Low-Performing Schools in Chicago. University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research. https://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/turning-around-low-performing-schools-chicago-full-report

q3 · i? · causal · r2

Trend analysis of standardized reading and math scores four years after intervention, adjusted for changes in entering student characteristics. The gap to the system average "decreased by nearly half in reading and by almost two-thirds in math." No effect size is printed.

"The gap in test scores between reformed elementary schools and the system average decreased by nearly half in reading and by almost two-thirds in math four years after the intervention took place."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Ninety-five Chicago elementary schools showed substantial improvement in academic productivity, accumulating an extra half year of learning in reading and over 1.25 years in mathematics over eight grades — related
• Authentic Pedagogy Assignments Predict Higher Achievement Gains in Chicago Elementary Schools — related
• High schools that underwent reform showed no significant improvement in absence rates or ninth-grade on-track rates compared with matched schools — related
• Sanction threats on low-performing schools can raise student test scores in the short run, but the role of gaming behavior versus genuine reform has been uncertain — related
• The DC school reforms were associated with larger than expected improvements in grade 4 math and reading scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress — related
• Threat-induced math improvements from attending a threatened elementary school persist at least through the first one to two years of middle school — related
• The DC school reforms were associated with learning gains in grade 8 math but not in grade 8 reading — related
• School turnaround is a gradual process rather than an immediate event triggered by replacing staff or leadership — a broader claim this one bears on
• Lynwood Unified's custom dashboards and intervention tools were followed by a decrease in high school D/F rates of over 8% and 593 interventions logged in one year — related
• Placing a full cohort of 25 residents as co-teachers in one high-need elementary school coincided with schoolwide achievement gains in ELA and mathematics within one year. — related
• Interrupted time series analysis found tutor quality improved gradually over time (β=0.01, p=.022) with no immediate level change or slope change at the training intervention — related
• Students in personalized learning schools made significantly greater mathematics and reading gains over two years than matched comparison students (effect sizes 0.27 mathematics, 0.19 reading) — related
• SWPBIS training showed no significant effect on school-level third- and fifth-grade math and reading proficiency gains — related
• The study evaluates the relative importance of educational reforms and gaming behavior in generating test score gains by threatened schools — related