Evaluating Feasibility and Effectiveness of Computerized Mathematic Training

Computational fluency and understanding of mathematical concepts are essential for students' math achievement. Attainment of math learning goals in childhood uniquely predicts life-course success and wellbeing.Thus, investing in childhood math proficiency is critically important to prepare students for solving problems and succeeding in life. In schools, math teachers are faced with increasingly complex demands but instruction time is limited. Students who are struggling may need extensive individualized practice to succeed. To that end, novel computerized training methods are used in today's schools to help students obtain crucial abilities. According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), most schools have adopted digital tools in the classroom, and they are increasingly interested in providing students access to new educational resources. Such specialized programs may have the potential to enhance children's academic growth trajectories, but they are not sufficiently evaluated. Moreover, teachers may not be prepared to select and use adequate digital tools.

There are numerous online learning programs that elicit different levels of motivation in students while adhering to Common Core State Standards. Some of them are expensive for schools whereas others are free, which makes them especially attractive for socioeconomically disadvantaged areas. One of the newer, but highly used programs is Prodigy, an adaptive open-access online math training game that continuously adapts to students' progress. Prodigy is different than most other programs because of its play-based, virtual reality environment that students explore with an avatar while solving math questions. As a result, students may be highly motivated and elect to spend more time on Prodigy than on other learning programs. Prodigy is currently being used by around 26 million students and teachers in the United States and Canada (https://www.prodigygame.com/), 150 school districts in the US have implemented Prodigy as part of their math curriculum, and many districts are expected to change from other programs to Prodigy, but the program has not been evaluated so far.

The investigators' aim is to evaluate the use and effectiveness of the adaptive Prodigy math training program via a randomized controlled trial (RCT) in the Knox County Schools (KCS) district.

Inclusion criteria

• Elementary and middle school math teachers
• Students grades 2-8

Exclusion criteria

n/a