Purpose of the study. The study had to focus on an evaluation of the
effectiveness of a well-defined method (or methods) for improving mathematics
proficiency. This could be done in the following ways: (a) use of specific
curricula or teaching approaches to improve mathematics instruction (e.g.,
teacher use of ‘think-aloud’ learning strategies; use of real world examples);
(b) use of various classroom organizational or activity structures (e.g., peerassisted
learning); or (c) use of formative student assessment data to enhance
instruction (e.g., curriculum-based measurement data; goal setting with
students using formative data). Studies that only examined the effect of
test-taking strategies on math test scores, that taught students computerprogramming
logic, or focused on computer-assisted instruction (i.e.,
technology) were not included. We felt that computer-assisted instruction