Breakthrough Collaborative’s Tutoring Program: Math Knowledge Gains and Participant Math Perceptions
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Breakthrough Collaborative’s Tutoring Program: Math Knowledge Gains and Participant Math Perceptions

Published: Mar 16, 2023
Publisher: Mathematica
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Associated Project

Evaluating the Development of Middle Years Math Teaching and Learning Solutions

Time frame: 2018 - 2023

Prepared for:

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Authors

Breyon Williams

Connor Rooney

Gregory Chojnacki

Key Findings
  • Participating students’ math scores grew from beginning to end of the year across both affiliates, on average, and these gains were similar to gains from a national sample in a pre-pandemic school year.
  • Students who completed the end-of-year survey reported favorable views about their relationship with their math tutors and their sense of belonging in their math tutoring sessions, on average.
  • Math confidence increased slightly, on average, among students who completed both the baseline and end-of-year surveys, although this difference was not statistically significant.

Breakthrough Collaborative designed a math-focused, school-year version of its summer program to pilot with eighth graders during the 2021-2022 school year. Two Breakthrough affiliates, Breakthrough Central Texas and Breakthrough Greater Boston, piloted the program. This study measures the math knowledge gains of eighth-grade students participating in the math tutoring pilot program, using the i-Ready Math assessment at Central Texas and the Renaissance Star Math assessment at Greater Boston. This study also reports on the perceptions of program participants on their relationship with their math tutor, sense of belonging in their math tutoring sessions, and math confidence, based on student surveys administered throughout the school year. This report is one in a series of six reports on math tutoring programs. The report is based on research funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The findings and conclusions contained within are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect positions or policies of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

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