Intervention for First Graders With Limited Number Knowledge: Large-Scale Replication RCT (Number Rockets)
Gersten, R., Rolfhus, E., Clarke, B., et al. · 2015
grade Areplicationindependentreplicatednumbers spot-checked
Sample
994 at-risk first graders / 76 schools / 4 districts
Population
At-risk first graders, 4 urban US districts; ~30 hrs small-group tutoring.
Design
IES-funded INDEPENDENT replication (evaluation team independent of developer) of the Fuchs 2005 small-group number tutoring RCT. Outcome: standardized TEMA-3.
Key findings
The strongest single piece of evidence that early number/fact tutoring works: independent team, 994 students, standardized outcome, +0.34. Calibrates the aligned-measure inflation across the fluency literature (~2-4x).
Genetic confound
Cluster randomization; domain-skill boost in a selected at-risk sample.
Replication notes
Successful independent replication. The calibration anchor for the whole fluency literature: developer-designed timed measures run d≈0.9-1.5; the standardized reality is ~0.3.
DOI / URL
10.3102/0002831214565787
Effects
| Outcome | Metric | Value | Measure | Timing | Vs | Horizon | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broad early math proficiency (TEMA-3) | ES | +0.34 (significant) | standardized | end of treatment | unclear | end-of-treatment | domain-skill |
Cited by
- Math-fact fluency and timed practice (and the anti-timed-test claims)strong supportconf: highgc: low