Background

In January 2023, Math Nation was introduced to schools across Kentucky. This report looks at how Math Nation influenced students' performance on the 2023 Kentucky Summative Assessment (KSA) in math. The main goal is to see if students using Math Nation did better on their math exams compared to those who did not use the program.

What We Did

To understand the impact of Math Nation, we compared the test scores of students from schools using Math Nation with those from schools using other math programs. We wanted to make sure that the schools we compared were similar in many ways, so any differences in scores would be due to Math Nation and not other factors. We matched schools based on several characteristics, like the percentage of students from different ethnic/racial backgrounds, the overall size of the school, grade-level enrollment, and the percentage of students receiving special services.

Key Findings

1. Overall Performance: Students in schools using Math Nation showed some improvements in their math scores. These improvements were more noticeable in certain groups of students.
2. African American Students: Schools using Math Nation had fewer African American students performing at the lowest proficiency level (Novice). There was a slight but notable improvement in their overall performance.
3. Asian Students: Asian students in Math Nation schools outperformed their peers in other schools, with more students reaching higher proficiency levels.
4. Female Students: Girls using Math Nation also showed better performance, with fewer scoring at the lowest levels and more achieving higher proficiency levels.
5. Students of Two or More Races: These students performed slightly better in Math Nation schools, with more reaching higher proficiency levels.

What These Results Mean

The first year of implementing Math Nation showed promising results, especially considering the program was introduced midway through the school year. While many of the differences in performance were not statistically significant, there were noticeable trends suggesting that Math Nation could be beneficial for students. The true impact of the program might become clearer with a full year of implementation.

Conclusion

This report provides early evidence that Math Nation may help improve math achievement for various student groups in Kentucky. While the differences in scores were not always statistically significant, the trends are encouraging. With continued use and better integration of the program, we expect to see even more significant improvements in the future.

By analyzing these early results, we can identify areas where Math Nation is most effective and provide additional support to ensure all students benefit from the program. This will help us move towards greater educational equity and ensure that every student has the opportunity to succeed in math.