Three research-based summer math programs for grade 6-8 students (2019 and 2020)¶

Element · All elements
Evidence · 4 claims (4 for) · 2 studies (1 causal, 1 design), q2 · 0 of 2 report an effect size · 4 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The brief examines three summer programs that "used research-based curricula and instructional practices to boost learning among diverse groups of grade 6–8 students during the 2019 and 2020 summers." The programs were evaluated for effects on student math knowledge, participant perceptions, and teacher learning, under the associated project Evaluating the Development of Middle Years Math Teaching and Learning Solutions, prepared for the Gates Foundation.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Programs used research-based curricula and instructional practices as described in the brief.

Constraints¶

Target Learners¶

• grade 6-8 students from diverse groups

Target Learning Goals¶

• middle-grades mathematics knowledge

Claims¶

• Students in three summer math programs showed large improvements in grades the semester after the program [+W]
• Evidence of changes in growth mindset or math confidence after the summer programs was minimal [+W]
• Teachers used new instructional practices they had learned while delivering the summer programs [+W]
• An NSF-funded replication of Math Corps operated in three new cities across summers 2017–2019 with independent evaluation [+W]

Related Elements¶

• Cross-district study of middle school math curricula, culturally responsive materials, and teacher professional learning

Examples¶

• Use summer programs as learning labs for teachers to practice new instructional strategies

Key Sources¶

• Gregory Chojnacki, Kate Place, Kara Conroy. (2023). Examining Student and Teacher Math Learning: Lessons from Three Summer Programs. Mathematica. https://www.mathematica.org/publications/examining-student-and-teacher-math-learning-lessons-from-three-summer-programs