Targeted instruction in number and operations improves young children's early math achievement, with a moderate level of supporting evidence¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · review r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2013 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 2 of 2 entries) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Interventions with a focus on number and operations show a strong pattern of positive effects on children's early math achievement across a range of curricula. → Frye 2013 q3 i? All eleven studies evaluating instruction in only number and operations found at least one positive effect on basic number concepts or operations. → Frye 2013

Evidence¶

Frye 2013¶

Frye, D., Baroody, A. J., Burchinal, M., Carver, S. M., Jordan, N. C., & McDowell, J. (2013). Teaching math to young children: A practice guide (NCEE 2014-4005). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE), Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/PracticeGuide/18

q3 · i? · review · r2

The panel's systematic review of studies of early math interventions in preschool, prekindergarten, and kindergarten classrooms, meeting WWC standards: "21 randomized controlled trials" and 2 quasi-experimental studies supported the moderate rating for Recommendation 1.

"The panel assigned a rating of moderate evidence to this recommendation based on their expertise and 21 randomized controlled trials33 and 2 quasi-experimental studies34 that met WWC standards and examined interventions that included targeted instruction in number and operations."

Frye 2013 (2)¶

Frye, D., Baroody, A. J., Burchinal, M., Carver, S. M., Jordan, N. C., & McDowell, J. (2013). Teaching math to young children: A practice guide (NCEE 2014-4005). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE), Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/PracticeGuide/18

q3 · i? · review · r2

Across the reviewed WWC-standards studies of curricula focused on number and operations, the panel reports "a strong pattern of positive effects on children's early math achievement"; no effect sizes are printed in the reviewed text.

"The research shows a strong pattern of positive effects on children's early math achievement across a range of curricula with a focus on number and operations."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• No reviewed study directly compared developmental-progression-guided math instruction with instruction not guided by a progression — related
• A WWC expert panel distilled recent research into seven recommendations for preschool educators on preparing young children for school — a broader claim this one bears on
• Engelmann's Direct Instruction curricula improve academic outcomes across reading, mathematics, language and spelling — a broader claim this one bears on
• Pre-K Mathematics improves preschool children's mathematics achievement, with a WWC positive effects rating and strong evidence tier — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Block Play Predicts Math Achievement — related
• All five of the guide's data-use recommendations are supported by low levels of evidence — related
• Studies relying exclusively on the Applied Problems subtest are likely to miss small but meaningful influences on early math achievement because the measure is less sensitive to variation among young children — related
• Instructional focus (number and operations vs. word-problem solving) and intervention implementer (researcher vs. school personnel) did not significantly predict effect sizes or moderate the dose–response relation — related