A Regression Discontinuity Study of the Impact of Mathematics Achievement Fund on Student Outcomes

STEM(科学、技术、工程和数学)参与方面的社会经济和种族差距有时可以追溯到幼儿园入学时出现的数学技能差异。重要的是，早期表现出数学发展滞后的儿童在以后的数学技能上也可能表现出较低的增长率。因此，早期数学技能的差距可能会随着学校教育的进程而扩大。如何及早诊断和纠正数学缺陷，是K-12学校必须系统面对的挑战。与雷丁不同，目前没有几个州有一个连贯的全州范围内的早期数学干预计划。肯塔基州的数学成就基金(MAF)是一个全州范围的K-3数学干预计划，是一个州努力在早期干预以改变学生的数学发展轨迹的最好例子。通过使用在MAF实施过程中收集的数据的准实验设计，这项研究将提供有价值的信息，说明各州如何构建并提供资源，以支持早期的数学干预努力。该项目将把研究和实践联系起来，并将急需的信息添加到现有的知识库中，供各州在考虑早期数学项目时使用。这项拟议的项目是美国研究院和肯塔基州教育部的联合努力，并得到了EHR核心研究(ECR)计划的支持，该计划支持推进STEM学习和学习环境的基础研究、扩大对STEM的参与以及STEM劳动力发展的工作。现有的早期数学干预往往是一次性的、本地化的努力，通常没有连贯或可持续的战略，通常由实验者实施，或由预装干预的供应商支持。显示有希望的结果的干预措施通常是小规模研究，而大规模研究往往发现无效。本项目旨在研究MAF对学生成绩的因果影响，在回归间断框架下进行。特别是，该项目将利用学生层面的行政数据和通过调查和访谈收集的原始数据，来审查MAF对学生在干预后立即和在以后年级的学业和非学业成绩的因果影响。该项目还将调查谁可能从MAF中受益以及在什么条件下受益，并对该计划进行成本效益分析。该项目将在几个方面对现有文献作出贡献。首先，现有的大多数关于早期数学干预的研究都集中在干预结束时的学生结果。有证据表明，随着时间的推移，对早期年级学生成绩的短期影响可能会消失。通过跟踪一些三年级学生进入高中，该项目计划检查MAF计划的短期好处在多大程度上会随着时间的推移而持续存在。此外，该项目还将探讨MAF如何影响儿童就学经历的其他方面，例如MAF可能对其他科目和非考试结果(如中学选课和学生参与)产生的溢出效应。通过这种方式，拟议的项目寻求催化新的知识，这些知识将有助于在州一级就系统、连贯的早期数学政策进行讨论。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Socioeconomic and racial gaps in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) participation can sometimes be traced back to discrepancies in mathematics skills that emerge at kindergarten entry. Importantly, children who exhibit early lags in mathematics development may also demonstrate lower growth rates in mathematics skills later. Consequently, early gaps in mathematics skills may widen over the course of schooling. How to diagnose and correct mathematics shortcomings early is a challenge that K–12 schools must confront systematically. Unlike reading, few states currently have a coherent statewide program for early mathematics intervention. Kentucky’s Mathematics Achievement Fund (MAF)—a statewide K-3 mathematics intervention program—is a prime example of a state’s effort to intervene early on to change a student’s mathematics development trajectory. By using a quasi-experimental design with data gathered during the implementation of MAF, this study will provide valuable information on how states can structure and provide resources to support early mathematics intervention efforts. The project will connect research and practice and add much-needed information to the existing knowledge base that states can use when considering early-grade mathematics programs. The proposed project is a joint effort between the American Institutes for Research and the Kentucky Department of Education and is supported by the EHR Core Research (ECR) program, which supports work that advances fundamental research on STEM learning and learning environments, broadening participation in STEM, and STEM workforce development.Existing early-grade mathematics interventions tend to be one-off, localized efforts, usually without a coherent or sustainable strategy, and often implemented by experimenters or supported by vendors of prepackaged interventions. Interventions that show promising results are typically small-scale studies, whereas large-scale studies often find null benefits. This project is designed to examine the causal effects of MAF on student outcomes in a regression discontinuity framework. In particular, the project will use student-level administrative data and original data collected through surveys and interviews to examine the causal effects of MAF on students’ academic and non-academic outcomes both immediately after the intervention and in later grades. The project will also investigate who is likely to benefit from MAF and under what conditions and conduct a cost-effectiveness analysis of the program. The project will contribute to the existing literature in several ways. First, most existing studies on early mathematics interventions focus on student outcomes at the end of the intervention. There is evidence that large, short-run effects on student scores in early grades could dissipate over time. By tracking some 3rd-grade students into high school, the project plans to examine the extent to which the short-term benefits of the MAF program, if any, persist over time. Further, the project will also explore how MAF may affect other aspects of children’s schooling experiences such as possible spillover effects of MAF on other subjects and non-test outcomes like middle school course-taking and student engagement. In this way, the proposed project seeks to catalyze new knowledge that will help inform the discussion on systematic, coherent early-grade mathematics policies at the state level.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.