In the Hawaii randomized trial, Positive Action showed no statistically significant effects on state standardized test scores in reading and math¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causalr?·q3
Currency · newest study 2007 · 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.
q3 i? The randomized trial found no statistically significant differences on HCPS math (effect size 0.17) or reading (effect size 0.19) proficiency percentages. → WWC Intervention Report: Positive Action 2007
Evidence¶
WWC Intervention Report: Positive Action 2007¶
WWC Intervention Report: Positive Action. (2007). What Works Clearinghouse, U.S. Department of Education. http://www.positiveaction.net
q3 · i? · causal · r?
In the Hawaii randomized controlled trial (2,660 grade 5 students in 20 schools), the WWC-reviewed findings show HCPS math proficiency effect size 0.17 and reading 0.19, both marked "ns" (not statistically significant). No statistically significant difference was detected; equivalence was not tested.
"The study also examined the impact on state standardized test scores in reading and math but found no statistically significant differences."
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- Positive Action has positive effects on elementary school students' behavior, with a WWC domain average effect size of 0.51 and an improvement index of +19 percentile points — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it
- In the Hawaii randomized trial, Positive Action reduced serious violence among boys but not among girls — related
- In the Hawaii randomized trial, Positive Action significantly reduced grade retention, with an effect size of 1.09 and an improvement index of +36 — related
- Positive Action has positive effects on elementary school students' academic achievement, with a WWC domain average effect size of 0.37 and an improvement index of +14 percentile points — reports the opposite
- In a four-year randomized evaluation in Hawaii, Positive Action schools had significantly lower absenteeism (ES=+0.19) and positive math and reading outcomes relative to controls — reports the opposite
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
positive-action-no-significant-effect-state-test-scores |
title |
In the Hawaii randomized trial, Positive Action showed no statistically significant effects on state standardized test scores in reading and math |
description |
In the Hawaii randomized trial, Positive Action showed no statistically significant effects on state standardized test scores in reading and math |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2007 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-07 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — wwc-intervention-report-positive-action-2007 |
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