Assessing Impacts of Math in Focus, a "Singapore Math" Program
Jaciw AP, Hegseth WM, Lin L, Toby M, Newman D, Ma B, Zacamy J · 2016
grade Brctindependentreplicated
Sample
22 clusters across 12 schools
Population
Nevada elementary school students.
Design
Independent cluster RCT of Math in Focus, the US edition of a Singapore-modelled elementary curriculum. Two outcome measures were administered to the SAME students: a norm-referenced standardized test and the state accountability test — which is what makes this trial unusually informative about measure dependence.
Key findings
'Teach like Singapore' bought ~0.11-0.15 SD in year one on one standardized test and nothing on another, in the same children. The honest reading is a small, real, measure-dependent effect — cross-national performance gaps are mostly population, not pedagogy.
Genetic confound
Cluster-randomized.
Replication notes
Consistent in direction with the EEF Mathematics Mastery trials in England, which found +0.07 pooled — both are orders of magnitude below cross-national gap rhetoric.
Effects
| Outcome | Metric | Value | Measure | Timing | Vs | Horizon | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford Achievement Test (norm-referenced) | ES | +0.11 to +0.15 | standardized | end of year 1 | business-as-usual | end-of-treatment | domain-skill |
| State accountability test, same students | ES | NULL | standardized | end of year 1 | business-as-usual | end-of-treatment | domain-skill |
Cited by
- Math curriculum choice — how much does the textbook matter?mixedconf: highgc: low