What was this study about?

An independent evaluator conducted a study to examine the influence of the STEMscopes Science curriculum on Alabama 4th grade students’ performance on the Science ACAP (Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program). The goal was to determine whether use of the curriculum led to higher proficiency rates.

Methods

The evaluator analyzed publicly available assessment data from 143 elementary schools that administered STEMscopes Science to 4th grade students during the 2023–2024 school year. To ensure fair comparison, a matched control group of 143 schools with similar demographics but not using STEMscopes Science was created. Matching considered several demographic characteristics, including student composition by race, ethnicity, gender, special education status, English language learner (ELL) status, and socioeconomic status.

Key Findings

1.  Overall Performance: Schools using STEMscopes Science had significantly higher 4th grade Science ACAP proficiency rates—2.94 percentage points higher—than non-STEMscopes schools.

 

 

 

2. Subgroup Analyses: Positive gains were observed across student subgroups in STEMscopes schools. The differences were statistically significant for Black/African American students, special education students, and females.

 

 

Conclusion

The evaluator concluded that these results provide promising evidence that the STEMscopes Science curriculum may help improve science achievement for Alabama 4th graders. The study meets criteria for ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) Tier 2 evidence, indicating moderate evidence of effectiveness.

 

Evaluator

Dr. Valerie Bambha is a developmental psychologist and education researcher with interests in early STEM education and play-based learning. She has conducted evaluations of STEM programming for a variety of community partners within the greater Houston area, including the Children’s Museum of Houston and four Houston area school districts. She is excited to contribute her expertise as an external evaluator for Accelerate Learning, Inc.