The better-performing early math curricula raised achievement for several student subgroups, including students in low-scoring and high-poverty schools¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r? · q3
Currency · newest study 2009 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? The higher achievement found under the better performing programs extended to several student subgroups, including students in schools with low math scores and students in schools with high poverty levels. → Agodini 2009

Evidence¶

Agodini 2009¶

Agodini, R., Harris, B., Atkins-Burnett, S., Heaviside, S., Novak, T., & Murphy, R. (2009). Achievement Effects of Four Early Elementary School Math Curricula: Findings from First Graders in 39 Schools. Princeton, NJ: Mathematica Policy Research. https://www.mathematica.org/publications/achievement-effects-of-four-early-elementary-school-math-curricula-findings-from-first-graders-in-39-schools

q3 · i? · causal · r?

Subgroup analysis reported alongside the main experimental comparison in the first-cohort report covering 39 first-grade schools. The page states the better performing programs "led to higher achievement for several student subgroups"; no subgroup effect sizes are printed here.

"In addition, the better performing programs led to higher achievement for several student subgroups, including students in schools with low math scores and students in schools with high poverty levels."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Effects were larger in intervention schools with a higher percentage of economically disadvantaged students or a lower percentage of White students — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it
• The study is the largest experimental-design study of multiple math curricula, covering 110 schools with this report based on the first cohort of 39 schools — a broader claim this one bears on
• First-grade math achievement is significantly higher under Math Expressions and Saxon Math than under Investigations in Number, Data, and Space and Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley Mathematics — related
• Pirate Math tutoring raises math achievement of low-achieving third graders with an effect size of +0.37 on Key Math — related
• A large-scale experimental study compared the effects of the four mathematics curricula on student achievement — a broader claim this one bears on
• After two years, three of four elementary math curricula outperform a fourth in achievement across first and second grades — a broader claim this one bears on
• The early elementary math curriculum used by schools mattered for student achievement in first and second grade — a broader claim this one bears on
• Math Expressions and Saxon Math raise first-grade math percentile rank 9 to 12 points more than Investigations and SFAW — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• The study examines whether some early elementary school math curricula are more effective than others at improving math achievement in schools serving a high percentage of disadvantaged students. — a broader claim this one bears on