Early Learning in Mathematics
Project Overview
Funded by the Institute of Education Sciences, the purpose of the
4-year research project is to test the efficacy of the Early Learning in
Mathematics (ELM) curriculum. The ELM curriculum is a comprehensive mathematics
curriculum for general education kindergarten classrooms consisting of 120
lessons providing explicit instruction in (a) number operations, (b) geometry,
(c) measurement, and (d) vocabulary.
The curriculum was developed to address concerns related to poor
achievement across the grades in mathematics, particularly for students from low
income (SES) and minority backgrounds.
As a part of the 3-year development process, ELM was field tested in 18
classrooms. The preliminary findings showed that although average students in
the ELM curriculum did as well as comparison students, at-risk students
performed better on most measures than their comparison counterparts.
The efficacy of the ELM curriculum will be evaluated on a short-term
and long-term basis; Students will be assessed three times through the year:
beginning, middle, and end. Long-term student outcomes will be assessed
one-half year after treatment and control instruction, when students are in the
middle of first grade. Classroom observations will be conducted on three
occasions per year to determine if variables related to instructional
effectiveness mediate student learning. In addition, variables associated with
student and teacher-classrooms characteristics hypothesized to moderate
treatment impact will be collected.
Timeline and Status
(2008-present)
As of July 2010, ELM research is still in progress. If you would like to request
more information regarding ELM research,
click here.
| Site | First Year | Second Year | Data Analysis |
| Oregon | 2008-2009 | 2009-2010 | 2010-2012 |
| Texas | 2009-2010 | 2010-2011 | 2011-2012 |
Participants and Partners
| University of Oregon Pacific Institutes for Research Texas School Districts: Dallas ISD, Catholic Diocese of Dallas, Philips School and Community Center, and Uplift Education Oregon School Districts: Hillsboro, Medford, and Tigard-Tualatin |
Funding Source
Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences
Principal Investigators
David
Chard, PhD, Dean of the Annette Caldwell Simmons School
of Education & Human Development
Scott Baker,
Co Principal Investigators
Ben Clarke, PhD
Hank Fien, PhD
Keith Smolkowski, PhD
Research Team
Texas
Sherril English, Dallas Project Coordinator
Ola Ozranov-Palchik,
SMU Research Associate
Oregon
Chris Doabler,
Observations, Data Manager
Mari Strand Cary,
Research Coordinator
Additional Resources
| Pacific Institutes for Research | University of Oregon |
| Institute of Education Sciences |
|
| SMU IRB |