Date of Award
Fall 12-8-2021
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education in Secondary Education
Department
Education
Committee Chair
Dr. Jihye Kim
First Committee Member
Dr. Susanna Molitoris-Miller
Second Committee Member
Dr. Anete Vasquez
Abstract
Federal reforms such as the Every Student Succeeds Acts (ESSA) and tools such as the College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) have increased accountability in schools. Two components of the CCRPI are Achievement and Achievement Gap. The accessibility of this data revealed to many stakeholders the underperformance of students from low-income families, Black students, and Hispanic students especially in mathematics. Therefore, initiatives such as the Title I program provide funds through the Georgia Department of Education to schools that have a high number of students from low-income families to assist in meeting student academic achievement standards using effective, evidence-based educational strategies that close the achievement gap. Computer-assisted instruction programs may be used as an intervention to help struggling students.
The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a computer-assisted instruction mathematics intervention program, Math 180, at improving the mathematics achievement scores of eighth grade students who were enrolled in the program at urban Title I middle schools as measured by the Math Inventory assessment and Georgia Milestones End-Of-Grade assessment using secondary data obtained from the school district.
A multiple regression showed that Math 180 usage predicted students’ mathematics proficiency during the 2017-2018 school year which was the first year of implementation in the Stone Hill Public School (SHPS) district, a pseudonym for a district in southeast Georgia. During the next two school years program usage decreased and did not predict students’ mathematical proficiency. An independent t-test showed that there was not a significant difference between the pretest and posttest scores of Black or Hispanic students when compared to their counterparts. Even though Math 180 usage only predicted students’ mathematical proficiency during the 2017-2018 school year the findings also showed that according to Student Growth Percentiles (SGP) some students who participated in the Math 180 program achieved at greater rater when compared to academically similar students across the state.
The findings of this study showed that during the 2017-2018 school year, the first year of implementation in the SHPS district, Math 180 usage predict students’ mathematics proficiency. However, during the next two school years program usage decreased and did not predict students’ mathematical proficiency. The findings also show that the Math 180 program is not more or less beneficial for Black or Hispanic students at increasing mathematics proficiency. Even though Math 180 usage only predict students’ mathematical proficiency during the 2017-2018 school year, the findings showed that according to SGP some students who participated in the Math 180 program achieved at greater rater when compared to academically similar students across the state. These findings imply that increased usage increases the impact of the Math 180 program on Math Inventory. Also, that fidelity of implementation could lead to more significant results as it relates to increasing mathematics proficiency in urban Title I middle schools.