Small group Instruction in Mathematics for Pupils Level 1-4: Effects of a randomized controlled trial intervention study

The main purpose of the project has been to investigate whether extra teacher resources used for small group teaching improve mathematics skills for the youngest pupils in primary school. The project has taken place in ten large municipalities in Norway, geographically spread over large parts of the country. The total included 160 schools from the participating municipalities and was carried out in the period 201-2020. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) has been carried out by dividing the schools into two groups of equal size by lottery: an intervention group and a control group. Balance tests of the two groups of schools have confirmed that the schools in the intervention and control groups are equal regarding relevant characteristics (school size, student composition, etc.) The schools in the intervention group were allocated resources to hire an additional teacher, qualified to teach mathematics. The extra teacher man-year was used to provide small group teaching in mathematics to students in two grade levels at each intervention school each school year. Small group teaching was given to all pupils at the level regardless of the students’ initial achievement, and it was recommended by the project that the schools establish homogeneous groups based on results from a pre-test. The project is thus connected to two important discussions in educational research: Is small group teaching suitable for raising the level of proficiency in mathematics – especially for low-achieving pupils? Will a division by ability level serve all students - or only high-achieving students? The project is unique in that two different ways of practicing differentiated teaching are connected. In the start-up year (2016/17), small group teaching was given to pupils in 2nd and 3rd grades. The same two groups of students continued with small group teaching in the next school year (2017/2018). In the third school year (2018/2019) pupils born in 2009 and 2011were treated – i.e. pupils in 2nd and 4th grade were offered small group teaching. In the fourth and last school year (2019/2020), pupils in the 3rd and 4th grades received small group teaching (the cohorts born in 2010 and 2011). Due to covid-19 and the measures that were implemented to limit the spread of the virus, the implementation of the intervention was unfortunately greatly reduced in the spring of 2020. Two of the four cohorts included in the intervention, the pupils born in 2010 and 2011, have therefore received a reduced amount of small group teaching, compared to what was planned. Large amounts of data have been collected along the way. All cohorts have taken a test in mathematics at the start, most cohorts have been tested along the way, and results from national tests in the 5th grade are linked as the students take these. The small group teachers have frequently reported the composition of the small groups and characterized the teaching provided for different subgroups of pupils. All teachers involved have reported on the learning environment and the degree of teacher collaboration. School leaders have received questions about the management's involvement in teaching in general and small group teaching. After the end of the intervention period, data are linked to study the effects of small group teaching in mathematics for one, two or three school years, as well as to compare the effects of small group teaching among pupils of slightly different ages (7-9 years). Various types of analyzes have been carried out. Effect analyzes ("Intention-to-treat") have been carried out and published for the first two cohorts. Various types of analyzes of mechanisms have been carried out or are underway. Primarily, this applies to the importance of teaching quality and the learning environment. Analyzes of the importance of factors such as teacher collaboration and the school management's involvement are currently being worked on. Early in the project, several literature reviews were carried out and published internationally. The project has also investigated whether tests has had any effect on the control group's performance in mathematics. Towards the end of the project period, results from the national exams in mathematics at 8th grade for the early grades are added to our data. This has provided the opportunity to study the long-term effects of the measure. Read more about the 1+1 project here: http://1pluss1prosjektet.no/frontpage

Å gi elevene smågruppeundervisning i matematikk, synes å være en måte å utnytte ekstra lærerressurser på som gir målbar positiv effekt på elevenes prestasjoner i regning. Tiltak der lærerressurser økes, uten føringer eller retningslinjer for hvordan økte ressurser skal brukes (organisatorisk, faglig, pedagogisk eller andre typer retningslinjer og/eller rammer), har i liten grad vist seg å gi målbare effekter på elevenes læringsutbytte. 1+1 prosjektet viser derimot at økte lærerressurser/økt lærertetthet kan målbare effekter på elevenes læringsutbytte, forutsatt tydelige rammer og retningslinjer for hvordan de økte ressursene kan og bør brukes. Prosjektet finner at ved å benytte ekstra lærerressurser til undervisning i små grupper med maks 6 elever per gruppe, oppnås betydelige effekter på elevenes læring. Umiddelbart etter avslutning av tiltaket, er gevinsten i overkant av 0.15 standardavvik, 5 måneder senere er effekten ca. 0.06 standardavvik. Disse effektene følger fra en «intention-to-treat»-analyse og angir derfor nedre grenser for effektstørrelsen. Til sammenligning antar man vanligvis, basert på tidligere studier, at effekten av et års ordinær undervisning gir en fremgang på 0.4 standardavvik.

Students' test scores in mathematics are important predictors of future earnings and other individual outcomes. Furthermore, cross-country studies suggest that aggregate measures of test scores in mathematics and science are important determinants of economic growth. However, international tests place Norwegian students below average in mathematics skills. We propose an intervention where the main aim is to increase students' numeracy skills. An additional teacher, qualified in mathematics, is allocated to a class or permanent group of students to provide tailored teaching during a limited time period for a subgroups of students. The intervention will not be limited to low-performing students, but will target all students, including the high-performing students. The groups will vary over the school year so that all students will have received at least two periods of small group instruction in mathematics by the end of the school year. Thus, the intervention avoids the potential stigmatization associated with being allocated to small group instructions. The intervention will be evaluated by using a randomized controlled trial (RCT) consisting of 150 schools equally divided between treatment and control group schools. The RCT takes place in nine large municipalities in Norway, geographically spread from the south-west to the northern region. Concentrating the project to large municipalities in densely populated areas ensures a sufficient supply of qualified teachers in mathematics. Our sampling of schools and municipalities reflects that we will exploit within-municipality across-school variation to investigate the relationship between implementation and school leadership.