1994
Case Study: Diocese of Erie, Pennsylvania
Schools Within the
Diocese of Erie, Pennsylvania
Improved Standardized Test Scores by Using
the 24® Game as Part of the Math Curriculum
Three-tiered Study
The Diocese conducted a study to establish how the 24 game, when made part
of the curriculum on a daily basis over an entire school year, would improve
standardized test scores. The study focused on three levels
1) Classroom -
A second grade classroom with a low composite test score was selected
to determine the efficacy of the 24 Add/Subtract Primer game.
2) School - A rural school, with traditionally low test scores
and myriad problems that stifled the learning process, was chosen to see if declining
test scores would be reversed.
3) District - A majority of schools throughout the district participated
to determine if standardized test scores would improve districtwide.
Improving
Test Scores at the Classroom Level
Second grade class at
Holy Family School, Erie, Pa.
A second
grade classroom at Holy Family School was selected for the study.
The class began the year with a composite score of 38 percentile
points in computation on the I.O.W.A. Test of Basic Skills. All 19
students in the class received individual 24 Primer games
(Add/Subtract edition) for use in school and at home.
The students received one hour
per week of classroom instruction using the 24 Primer game.
They did homework using the 24 game four nights per week,
aimed at mastering skills. Each student had to teach parents and
three adults how to play the game, and document at-home play.
The year end (1994) I.O.W.A.
Test scores improved significantly when compared with the beginning
year (1993) scores. Seventeen of the 19 students increased their
individual computation scores between 2 and 41 percentile points.
The class composite score rose from the 38th percentile to the 71st
percentile.
 
Improving
test
scores at the school level
St. Boniface School,
Kersey, Pa.
St. Boniface is a small rural
school in Elk County, Pa. Test evaluations showed that students were
not working up to their ability level. Even gifted students, who
usually excel in any environment, were exhibiting declining standardized
test scores. Teachers were plagued with low morale. Students exhibited
a virtual lack of enthusiasm for learning. Ineffective communication
between faculty and students was the norm. These conditions resulted
in classroom composite scores as low as 3 percentile points.
To involve the entire school,
a schoolwide enrichment model (designed by Dr. Joseph Renzulli, University
of Connecticut) was used. The 24 game was the tool used to
help improve low math scores at all grade levels. At the foundation
of the Primer to Platinum project was the entire range of 24 games.
One unique aspect of the 24 games is that they cover a broad
area of math skills. Learning these skills on a gradient allows students
to enter, and become engaged in mathematics, according to their ability
level.
Students
and faculty, as well as parents, met once a week for 45-60 minutes.
Students selected
the activity level that could challenge them, and yet put success
within their grasp. Each student’s progress was visually charted
on ladders of success. “Once students mastered one level, they
were eager to compete at the next,” said Joan Pfaff, enrichment
coordinator for the six Catholic elementary schools in Elk County.
A series of incentives were
provided to recognize student achievement; including certificates,
inclusion in the 24 Hall of Fame, coverage by local news media,
and acknowledgment at monthly assemblies. After using the 24 game
as part of the curriculum for one year, students, teachers and parents
labeled the program a resounding success.
The fifth grade computation
score of 3 percentile points at the beginning of the year increased
to 66 percentile points at the end of the study. The sixth grade
composite jumped from 26 percentile points to 91. The seventh grade
composite score went from 47 to 95 percentile points. The program
not only accomplished the goal of raising test scores, it engendered
a sense of pride and accomplishment among the faculty and student
body.
Improving
Test Scores at the District Level
Diocese
of Erie, Pa.
The Erie Diocese encompasses
10,000 square miles, 13 counties and student populations from diverse
socioeconomic backgrounds. To improve the math computation scores
the diocese incorporated the 24 game into the math curriculum.
The study involved 3,000 students, in grades 4, 5 and 6, during the
1993/1994 school year. The 24 game was introduced into 111
classrooms.
Participating classrooms used
the game for 5 to 10 minutes each day. The goal was to generate excitement
for the process of learning math, and reinforce basic math skills
with students districtwide. Across the diocese, math computation
scores increased in 73 of the 111 classrooms. While significant,
perhaps even more noteworthy is that nine classrooms improved over
40 percentile points; and 48 classrooms increased more than 10 percentile
points.
An unexpected result of the
study was that of the 73 classrooms that improved in computation
scores, 92 percent improved in the other tested areas: math concepts
and problem solving. Across the diocese, the 24 game added
excitement and challenge to the math curriculum; it encouraged kids
to be problem solvers; and fostered a spirit of cooperation.
CONCLUSION
The three-tiered study in the
Erie Diocese documents the success in using the 24 game to
improve math proficiency, not only at the classroom and schoolwide
level, but districtwide.
Michael
Casserly, executive director, Council of the Great City Schools,
says, “The Council’s
goal is to duplicate these results in our largest urban districts.
This achievement would make significant progress in elevating the
math proficiency of all our nation’s students.” The Council
is a coalition of fifty of the largest urban school districts in
the United States; and National Education Territory of the 24 Challenge® Math
Program.
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