Targeted school-based interventions have positive short-term effects on standardised reading and mathematics tests for K-6 students with or at risk of academic difficulties¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · quant-synthesis r3 · q4
Currency · newest study 2021 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q4 i? The overall average short-term effect size is ES = 0.30 (95% CI [0.25, 0.34]), positive and statistically significant; no standardised effect size statistic beyond the pooled ES is printed for this finding. → Dietrichson 2021

Evidence¶

Dietrichson 2021¶

Dietrichson, J., Filges, T., Seerup, J. K., Klokker, R. H., Viinholt, B. C. A., Bøg, M., & Eiberg, M. (2021). Targeted school‐based interventions for improving reading and mathematics for students with or at risk of academic difficulties in Grades K‐6: A systematic review. Campbell Systematic Reviews. https://doi.org/10.1002/cl2.1152

q4 · i? · quant-synthesis · r3

Random-effects meta-analysis with robust-variance estimation of 205 included studies (202 intervention-control, 3 comparison designs) totalling 226,745 student observations; the review prints the pooled short-term estimate as "ES = 0.30, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.25, 0.34]".

"The overall average effect sizes (ES) for short‐term and follow‐up outcomes were positive and statistically significant (ES = 0.30, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.25, 0.34] and ES = 0.27, 95% CI = [0.17, 0.36]), respectively)."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Peer-assisted instruction and small-group instruction by adults have large, robust short-term effect sizes for K-6 struggling students — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Follow-up effects of targeted K-6 interventions remain positive up to 2 years after intervention ends, with evidence of fadeout — related
• Targeted school-based interventions for Grades 7–12 students with or at risk of academic difficulties have positive, statistically significant short-run effects on standardised reading and maths tests (ES = 0.22) — related
• Effect sizes across the included studies were highly heterogeneous (I2 = 97.30%), requiring a random effects model — related
• Effect sizes based on mathematics tests are significantly larger than effect sizes based on reading tests in targeted secondary interventions — related
• Interventions in higher Grades tend to have somewhat lower effect sizes; other study characteristics show few significant moderator effects — related
• Substantial unexplained heterogeneity characterises short-term effects of targeted K-6 interventions — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• The 2018 review reported a larger pooled effect (SMD = 0.30) that was not sustained at longer-term follow-up — related
• Longer-run effects of targeted secondary interventions are small and not statistically significant, with only seven studies providing follow-up evidence — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Intensive mathematics interventions for K-3 students with or at risk for MD yield an overall pooled mean effect size of β = 0.61 with substantial heterogeneity — a narrower finding that bears on this claim