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Rigorous SRI Study Shows Online Mathematics Homework Program Developed at Worcester Polytechnic Institute Increases Student AchievementMENLO PARK, Calif., Oct. 24, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- A new study from SRI Education, a division of SRI International, found that a web-based mathematics homework intervention called ASSISTments, developed by Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), made a positive impact on students' mathematics achievement. In schools where seventh-grade students and their teachers used ASSISTments, students achieved higher standardized mathematics test scores, compared with peers in schools that did not use ASSISTments. The study was recently published in the journal AERA Open by the American Educational Research Association, and was supported by a $3.5 million grant from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the U.S. Department of Education to SRI, WPI, and the University of Maine. To evaluate the efficacy of ASSISTments for mathematics homework, SRI conducted a rigorous, randomized control trial in the state of Maine, which, since 2002, has provided every seventh-grade student with a laptop. SRI examined test scores of nearly 3,000 seventh graders at 43 public schools in Maine. Schools in the test group and a control group were matched in terms of demographics and socio-economic status. Standardized test scores of students whose schools used ASSISTments were compared to those of students whose schools were not using the system and were found to be significantly higher. Students with low prior mathematics achievement, in particular, benefited the most. (This study used the TerraNova tests, which span kindergarten through 12th grade.) In recent years, questions have been raised about the value of existing school practices for assigning, supporting and reviewing homework. This study demonstrates that schools can improve the value of homework by using an online tool for students and teachers, combined with teacher training on how to use the tool, to make homework a better learning experience. ASSISTments provides immediate feedback to students as they work on assignments from their teachers; it then gives teachers insight into areas where students struggle, both individually and as a class. Teachers reported they found the system easy to implement, because it fits within common school policies for homework and doesn't require instructional changes, such as new textbooks or altered pacing through topics. ASSISTments also enabled formative assessment practices for teachers, such as adapting their discussions of homework to fit students' needs and to address common wrong answers, leading to more effective learning. "This rigorous, large-scale evaluation found that ASSISTments increased student learning of mahematics," said Jeremy Roschelle, Ph.D., co-director of the Center for Technology in Learning at SRI International, and principal investigator for the study. "Parents and educators alike want to know how students can learn more from their math homework—and now there is scientific proof that the right kind of intervention can provide a practical, targeted way to increase math learning." Key findings highlighted in the study:
"This study provides gold-standard proof that ASSISTments can provide solid gains in math learning," said ASSISTments lead creator, Neil Heffernan, Ph.D., professor of computer science and director of Learning Sciences and Technologies at WPI. "Furthermore, we learned this type of intervention can help bridge the achievement gap between those students who start out weaker in math compared with those who start out with stronger math scores." The WPI team is currently working to expand ASSISTments to include crowdsourcing as a tool to involve more teachers and researchers in the development process. This study both shows how online tools can help teachers adopt effective formative assessment practices and also highlights how strong teamwork among researchers, computer scientists, and teachers can unlock innovative potential within existing school practices like homework. Watch a brief video describing the SRI study. About SRI Education Worcester Polytechnic Institute This material is based upon work supported by the Institute of Educational Sciences of the U.S. Department of Education under Grant Number R305A120125. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material belong to the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of IES.
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