Pinellas County Schools Drives Student Achievement with DreamBox Math

Research & Impact

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At-a-Glance

Type:

Research Brief

Time Period:

SY 2019-2020, SY 2020-2021

Grades:

K-5

Source:

Discovery Education

Product:

DreamBox Math

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After a successful pilot program across 10 schools, district leaders at Pinellas County Schools (PCS) recognized the value of DreamBox Math to help their students learn and reach academic goals. In Fall 2019, the district expanded the math program to include more than 70 schools. DreamBox Math data captured from PCS represents a culturally and economically diverse student population.

The implementation of DreamBox Math for the students of Pinellas County has ensured students receive additional instruction in their areas of need, both with remediation and enrichment. DreamBox has changed the culture of mathematics in our district for students, teachers and families.

Michael Feeney

Executive Director, Elementary Education, Pinellas County Schools

In 2021, the DreamBox Research Team began to explore the impact of DreamBox Math usage in Pinellas County on growth on Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) Measures of Academic Progress® (MAP) assessment data. They conducted a research study to investigate these questions:

How much growth did students demonstrate while playing DreamBox Math the recommended amount each week?
Does completing DreamBox Math lessons produce the same results across all achievement levels and grades?
Was there a measurable impact on assessment scores for students playing DreamBox Math during and after pandemic closures?

Sample Data for the Study Included:

1-5th Graders

0 K

Classrooms

0 +

Schools

Student DreamBox Math Usage Groups:

Low Usage

Students who completed fewer than two DreamBox Math lessons per week.

Comparison Group

Students who completed two or more lessons, but fewer than five lessons per week.

Recommended Usage

Students who completed five lessons or more each week.

Results in Just Eight Weeks

Students who completed an average of five or more lessons per week increased more than five national achievement percentile points. These gains were significantly larger than gains demonstrated by students who completed fewer or no weekly DreamBox Math lessons.

LearnPlatform by Instructure, a third-party educational research company, worked with Discovery Education to review this study for evidence that use of DreamBox Math improves students’ math achievement The review concluded that the evidence surrounding DreamBox Math meets the standards of evidence in ESSA aligning with Level III “Promising Evidence.”