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New Study Shows Gains for Students Using Teach to One Math Program

Great classrooms leverage technology to amplify great teachers and support each step of a student’s academic growth. Digital and blended learning offers the hope that, through technology, every student can receive the best instruction built off of the worlds best resources.

This is an age of discovery and invention in education, and today, digital learning continues to deliver on its promise for all students. A new study from the Teachers College shows 2,200 students, largely in underserved populations, using the Teach To One (TtO) math program making 1.2 years of growth in math or 20% more than the national average.

Looking into the first year of implementation (2012-2013) of TtO in seven urban middle schools in Chicago, New York City and Chicago, researchers examined how students using the personalized learning model from New Classrooms, compared to the rest of the nation on math scores. With 91% of these students qualifying for free/reduced lunch and over 70% black or hispanic students, Joel Rose and Christopher Rush (co-founders of New Classrooms), continue to “reimagine learning” and students from all backgrounds are reaping the benefits.

Student Mathematics Performance in Year One Implementation of Teach to One: Math

The report concludes, “the TtO students generally started the 2012-13 academic year with mathematics skills that lagged behind national norms. Researchers found that the average growth of by TtO students surpassed the growth achieved by students nationally. Although these findings cannot be attributed to the program without the use of an experimental design, the results appear encouraging. Achievement gains of TtO students, on average, were strong— especially given the fact that the TtO students began the academic year substantially behind their peers nationally, and were far more likely to face social and academic challenges.”

By supplementing teacher-led instruction with carefully-designed tactics, TtO helps meet students where they are, ensuring that instruction is based on a students need rather than a teachers preference. This is true blended learning, mixing teacher-led instruction, collaboration with other students and the best of computer software and virtual instructors.

While this was only measuring the first year, the gains were remarkable.

  • Teach to One students started the 2012-13 academic year significantly below national averages
  • The average gains of Teach to One students in sixth, seventh and eighth grades surpassed those made by students nationally
  • The average gains of Teach to One students in most demographic sub-groups outperformed national norms
  • Teach to One students who started with the weakest mathematics skills made the greatest gains—50 percent higher than the national average.
  • This is a hugely encouraging study, following up on the study of over 18,000 students – financed by the Department of Education and carried out by the Rand Corporation earlier this year – showing that a blended learning curriculum helped increase math scores. These studies are the first of many, showing the concrete fruit of high quality digital learning.

At the 2012 National Summit, Rose spoke as part of our digital learning showcase, highlighting the great work done by New Classrooms and showing  how it ensures students are at the center of the classroom. Watch the presentation and remember to check out Navigating the Digital Shift to learn how your state and school can best utilize the power of blended learning.