DreamBox Math Drives Student Achievement for K-5 Students in Large North Carolina School District

Research & Impact

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At-a-Glance

Type:

Case Study

Source:

LearnPlatform by Instructure

Grade Level:

K-8

Time Period:

2022-2023

Product:

DreamBox Math

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In 2023, Discovery Education partnered with LearnPlatform, a third-party edtech research company, to explore the impact of DreamBox Math on K-5 student achievement in a large North Carolina school district, as measured by the NWEA MAP® scores and end-of-grade (EOG) state assessment math scores.

The hypothesis was that measurable student growth could be achieved with the differentiation, scaffolding, and continuous formative assessments built into DreamBox Math.

LearnPlatform designed the study to satisfy Level III requirements (Promising Evidence) according to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Access the full report or download a brief summary.

What Were Some Key Takeaways from the Study?

Students in K-5 with moderate and high usage of DreamBox Math (2 or more lessons weekly) scored significantly higher on the NWEA MAP than students with low usage (less than 2 lessons).
Students in G4-5 with moderate and high usage of DreamBox Math had significantly higher EOG scores than students with low usage.
After controlling for prior math achievement and grade, Hispanic and African American male students across grade levels who completed at least 2 to 5 lessons per week in DreamBox Math experienced a statistically significant increase in NWEA MAP achievement.

Download the Research Summary

Who Was Included in the Study?

This study included 57,000+ students in grades K-8 across 161 schools from a large school district in North Carolina. Researchers conducted analyses by grade band to allow for better interpretability of findings. Since G6-8 was just 6% of the data sample and the main implementation was for elementary grades, the findings are for G1-5. To see findings for G6-8, see Appendix E in the full report.

Kinder

0 %

Grades 1-2

0 %

Grades 3-5

0 %

Grades 6-8

0 %

What Data Were Evaluated?

DreamBox Math Usage Groups:

Low usage = <2 lessons (<30 min) weekly
Moderate usage = <2 to <5 lessons (<30 to <60 min) weekly
High usage = >5 lessons (>60 min) weekly

Students in K-5 Who Completed:

Fall 2022 NWEA Map (G1-5)
Winter 2023 NWEA MAP (K)
Spring 2023 NWEA MAP (G1-5)
Spring 2022 and 2o23 NC EOG Math Exam (G4-5)

Source

LearnPlatform by Instructure, Researchers Alexandra Lee, Ph.D. and Meetal Shah, Ph.D. “DreamBox Math (2022-23) Study Type: ESSA Evidence Level III”. July 1, 2024.