An Efficacy Study of the MathSpring Personalized Learning System

Upper elementary and middle school years can be a pivotal time for math achievement. Students learn skills that are vital for success in later grades. However, during this time, students demonstrate lower math engagement, motivation, and achievement. In 2022, more than half of 5th and 6th graders did not meet expectations in math.  

Purpose

In partnership with University of Massachusetts, Amherst, WestEd is conducting a randomized controlled trial with 64 5th- and 6th-grade math teachers and their classes in Massachusetts. The Personalized Affective Math Learning Study (PALS) will compare state test performance of students from classrooms using MathSpring for problem-solving practices with students in a “business-as-usual” condition. 

Findings from this independent study will provide more insights about the promise of intelligent technologies to (a) make math practice more effective and (b) improve student engagement and productive attitudes toward math to ensure the academic success of students.

Audiences Served

PALS enables dozens of 5th- and 6th-grade math classrooms across Massachusetts to use MathSpring—a research-based, game-like intelligent tutor that provides personalized content for students and affective support as students solve math problems. The findings from the study will add to the evidence base around the effectiveness of edtech interventions on student learning.

Project Activities

For the randomized controlled trial, WestEd randomly assigned teachers to treatment and control conditions. Professional learning support was provided to treatment teachers. We collected data from teachers in both conditions through surveys, logs, and interviews as well as usage records of treatment teachers and students.   

WestEd will analyze the data to determine whether MathSpring has a significant impact on student math achievement as measured by the end-of-year standardized math assessments. We will disseminate the findings to contribute to the research base about edtech interventions. 

Project Director

Mingyu Feng

Mingyu Feng is a nationally recognized expert in development and research of education innovations with a focus on the impact, implementation, and cost of innovative computer technologies and platforms. She works as a Research Director on the Learning and Technology team.

Funder

This project is funded in full by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) at the U.S. Department of Education through award number R305A190256.

Project Duration

6 years (7/1/2019-6/30/2025)