Ten weeks of academic intervention designed to improve math word problem solving among middle school students: Effects of a randomized pilot study

Billions of dollars are spent annually in response to widespread underachievement in areas of math and reading (National Assessment of Education Progress, 2003). Efficacy of these remedial academic programs is often poorly documented and few programs are designed to address individual needs (Kahne, Nagaoka, Brown, O'Brien, Quinn, & Thiede, 2001; Granger, Durlak, Yohalem, & Reisner, 2007). Furthermore, many students do not benefit from these programs due to behavior deficits that impact learning (Granger et al., 2007). The Challenging Horizons Program (CHP) is an evidence-based after-school program that provides an effective framework for engaging students with behavior deficits in learning activities (Langberg, Smith, Bogle, Schmidt, Cole, & Pender, 2006).;At the start of this dissertation, the CHP did not have a curriculum targeting students' math performance. This dissertation describes the development of a remedial math intervention delivered within the Challenging Horizons Program designed to be delivered by paraprofessionals with limited training in teaching. To evaluate the curriculum, participants were randomly assigned to either receive the CHP as usual (N = 13) or the CHP plus math intervention 4 days a week (N=13). Outcomes were measured using brief timed assessments of basic math calculation and word problem solving, which showed generally positive effect sizes but low rates of reliable change on a case-by-case basis. No differences in skipping items between the control and treatment groups were observed on the basic calculation weekly assessment measure. Overall, this pilot study suggests that this math intervention can feasibly be delivered by paraprofessionals but some procedural and methodological limitations cloud the interpretation of the results with regard to the efficacy of the math intervention.