Improving Numeracy Outcomes for 'At Risk' Children: A cluster-Randomised Control Trial of Precision Teaching Methods.

尽管有证据支持早期干预，但威尔士的许多学生仍然没有必要的基本计算技能就上了高中（经合组织，2014年）。与技能缺陷相关的学业成绩不佳在“累积性流利障碍”范式中被概念化（Binder, 1996）。也就是说，成绩不佳是学生在掌握复杂技能之前没有掌握多种先决技能的结果。基于证据的方法已被应用于教育中，以纠正累积的不流畅效应（例如，Gallagher, 2006； Hughes等人，2007；Hunter等人，2016；Beverley等人，2016）。PT是一个“加速学习”系统的例子，该系统源自学习的基本原理（Fredrick & Hummel, 2004）。这有助于儿童比采用基于掌握的方法更快地学习技能（Kubina, et al, 2002）。PT已被证明可以有效地提高广泛领域的基本技能，包括读写能力（例如，Cavallini等人，2010）和计算能力（例如，Brady和Kubina, 2010； Hayden和McLaughlin， 2004）。PT干预通常采用小n设计，针对诊断出有特定困难的儿童。最近的班级范围的实验研究扩展了主流课堂有效性的证据基础（例如，Hunter等人，2016；Beverley等人，2009,2016）。然而，没有研究使用金标准随机对照试验方法来评估PT，这为干预措施的有效性提供了更有力的证据（Thornicroft, 2011）。这将是对有效早期干预的证据基础的重要补充。本研究的主要目的是扩展目前的证据基础，以提高北威尔士学校精确教学方法的有效性。我们的目标是通过开展精确教学方法的大规模集群随机对照试验（c- rct）来做到这一点。这将旨在缩小学业成绩差的“风险”儿童（即有资格享受免费校餐或来自贫困家庭的学生）与普通同龄人之间的学业成绩差距。具体来说，这个项目旨在提高学生的计算能力。缩小这一成就差距是威尔士政府（2016年）和福祉与子孙后代法案（2015年）的关键目标。正如他们的区域商业计划（GwE, 2015）所述，这也是GwE（北威尔士地区学校效率和改进服务）的优先事项。拟议的研究将建立在目前作为教育研究和影响合作研究所（CIEREI）一部分进行的系统研究和实施方案的基础上。

Despite an evidence-base supporting early intervention many students in Wales still reach high school without necessary basic numeracy skills (OECD, 2014). Academic underachievement relating to skill deficits has been conceptualised in the 'cumulative dysfluency' paradigm (Binder, 1996). That is, underachievement is a result of a student not acquiring multiple prerequisite skills to a level of mastery before progressing onto complex skills. Evidence-based approaches have been applied within education to remediate the cumulative dysfluency effect (e.g., Gallagher, 2006; Hughes et al., 2007; Hunter, et al., 2016; Beverley et al., 2016).PT is an example of an 'accelerated learning' system derived from the basic principles of learning (Fredrick & Hummel, 2004). This helps children learn skills faster than would be typically expected by employing mastery-based methods (Kubina, et al., 2002). PT has been shown to be effective at improving basic skills across a wide range of domains including literacy (e.g., Cavallini et al., 2010) and numeracy (e.g., Brady & Kubina, 2010; Hayden & McLaughlin, 2004). PT interventions have typically adopted small n designs, aimed at children diagnosed with specific difficulties. More recent class-wide experimental studies have extended the evidence-base for effectiveness in mainstream classrooms (e.g., Hunter et al., 2016; Beverley et al., 2009, 2016). However, no research has evaluated PT using gold standard RCT methods, which offer more robust evidence for interventions effectiveness (Thornicroft, 2011). This would represent an important addition to the evidence-base for effective early interventions. The primary aim of this research is to extend the current evidence-base for the effectiveness of Precision Teaching methods in schools across North Wales. We aim to do this by conducting a large-scale cluster-Randomised Control Trials (c-RCTs) of Precision Teaching methods. This will be aimed at reducing the academic attainment gap between children 'at risk' of poor academic outcomes (i.e., pupils who are eligible for Free-School Meals [eFSM] or come from deprived backgrounds) and their average peers. Specifically, this project aims to improve attainment in numeracy. Closing this attainment gap is a key target for Welsh Government (2016) and the Well- being and Future Generations Act (2015). It is also a priority for GwE (Regional School Effectiveness and Improvement Service for North Wales), as set out in their regional business plan (GwE, 2015). The proposed research will build on a systematic research and implementation programme currently being conducted as part of the Collaborative Institute for Education Research and Impact (CIEREI).