Effectiveness of Reading and Mathematics Software Products. Findings from Two Student Cohorts

摘要

In the No Child Left Behind Act, Congress called for the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to conduct a rigorous study of the conditions and practices under which educational technology is effective in increasing student academic achievement. A 2003 design effort by ED working with educational technology and research experts recommended focusing the study on software products used to support reading and math instruction. The study team set up a competitive process and worked with ED to select reading products to be studied in the first and fourth grades, pre-algebra products in the sixth grade, and algebra I products in high school (or possibly in middle school). The team implemented an experimental design in which teachers in the same school were randomly assigned to use or not to use a software product, and the team collected test scores and other data to assess effectiveness of the software products.