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AED Finds Significant Mathematics Improvement Among At-Risk Students in the Bronx

Washington, D.C., February 4, 2005 — A new study released by the Academy for Educational Development (AED) found that, as a result of high-quality teacher professional development and support, elementary and middle school students in low-income schools in the Bronx have made significant gains in mathematics achievement scores. These gains are particularly noteworthy because students in low-income schools are considered to be at-risk of academic failure.

AED conducted an evaluation the “Teacher Leaders for Mathematics Success” (TL=MS) program, which is an initiative of the National Science Foundation and was developed by the New York City Mathematics Project, a program of the Institute for Literacy Studies and Lehman College/The City University of New York. The initiative involved more than 6,000 students and 240 teachers in more than 20 low-income schools in the Bronx, all at the K-8 level.

The AED evaluation found that

  • Almost 90 percent of the students showed an increase in their total math scores on a pre/post math assessment;
  • Improvement in math performance occurred regardless of the student’s gender, race, ethnicity, or English language skills;
  • On average, the TL=MS classes gained 3.29 points (out of a possible 12 points) more on the post-test than students in other classes.
“The relationship between teacher professional development and student achievement is complex,” said Alexandra T. Weinbaum, the director of the AED Center for School and Community Services. “In this study we were able to show the connection between what—and how—students learn and what they were able to achieve academically.”











The TL=MS initiative involved teachers, principals, and administrators, and included both an intensive course of study in mathematics content and pedagogy. According to the AED evaluation, more than 80 percent of participating teachers reported having a much better understanding of math content and a greater comfort teaching math.











The evaluation also found that TL=MS teachers place more emphasis on teaching students how to communicate their ideas. Student achievement increased not only in mathematical knowledge, but also in strategic knowledge and written communication.












Percentage of TL=MS Students who Showed Improvement
from Pretest to Post-test
(n=195)    
Impact Area Percent Who showed
Improvement
 Mathematical knowledge  79.0%
 Strategic knowledge  71.8%
 Written communication  75.9%
 Total score  88.2%
*Note: the 25 TL=MS students with perfect pretests are not included in this analysis.   




































“The evaluation concludes that it is possible to increase student’s opportunities for success in mathematics if their teachers expand their content knowledge, develop more enthusiasm for teaching math, and use a range of instructional strategies that are both engaging and rigorous,” said Marcie Wolfe, the executive director of the Institute for Literacy at Lehman College/The City University of New York.

The entire evaluation is available online at: http://www.aed.org/Education/US/upload/TLMS%20final%20report.pdf




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