ALI recently partnered with Johns Hopkins University (JHU) to study whether STEMscopes Science raised academic achievement when used as a core curriculum.

The impacts were statistically significant. More students were reaching the “Meets” and “Masters” categories on a targeted standardized test after exposure to STEMscopes Science compared to control schools without the comprehensive curriculum. 

The number of Scopes completed made an impact, too. More Scopes exposure meant higher achievement.

Study Background

Proficiency was measured by looking at STAAR Science Grade 5 Assessment scores for the 2018-2019 school year. These were publicly available data sets provided by the Texas Education Agency (TEA).

Chosen schools across the state of Texas had to use at least 80% of available Scopes from the curriculum during that academic year. 

Overall, 963 STEMscopes schools were matched as both treatment and control schools.

STAAR Science classifies student results as falling in one of four levels: 

1. Did Not Meet Grade Level (Level 1)
2. Approaching Grade Level (Level 2)
3. Meets Grade Level (Level 3)
4. Masters Grade Level (Level 4)

Study Results for STEMscopes Science Schools

For our purposes at Accelerate Learning, students “passed” the assessment at a Level 2 or above.
Female students at STEMscopes schools outperformed their peers at non-STEMscopes schools across proficiency levels.

STAAR Level	Proficiency Rates
Approaching	+0.957
Meets	+1.415
Masters	+1.104

The biggest increases were seen at schools where 15+ Scopes were completed during the school year.
Compared to schools using no Scopes, schools using 15+ Scopes saw anywhere from a 1.5 to a 2.2-point increase in proficiency rates at all levels.

STAAR Level	Proficiency Rates
Approaching	+1.400
Meets	+1.770
Masters	+1.084