Ace it! Programs and Effect Sizes
The Ace it! programs incorporate a number of research based approaches that have significant effects on achievement.
An effect size provides a common expression of the magnitude of outcomes for many types of variables, such as school achievement. An effect size of 1.0 can be thought of as advancing children’s achievement by two years or improving the rate of learning by 50%.**
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Explanation: Formative assessment has a significant effect on student achievement. It is effective across student age, treatment duration, frequency of measurement, and special needs status.** Ace it! Formative Assessment: Formative assessment is an integral part of the Ace it! Reading and Math programs. In Reading, every student is given a formative assessment after every third lesson using the Ace it! Rubric for Evaluation of Student Progress. In Math, every student is given a formative assessment after every second lesson. Formative assessment data is used to differentiate instruction, monitor progress, and adjust instruction accordingly in subsequent lessons. |
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Explanation: Effective direct instruction is not didactic. Instead, the best direct instruction incorporates 7 key elements: (1) establish learning goals; (2) set success criteria; (3) build student engagement; (4) deliver the lesson (provide information, model, check for understanding, etc.); (5) guided practice; (6) independent practice; (7) closure.** Ace it! Direct Instruction: Every Ace it! lesson incorporates all these research based steps in both the Reading and Math curricula. |
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Explanation: Peer tutoring can have a powerful effect on student achievement. It has many academic and social benefits for both those tutoring and those being tutored.** Ace it! Peer Tutoring: The small group setting of Ace it! encourages peer interaction on a continual basis, whether that is working/sharing in the small group, partnering as part of regular instruction or for differentiation activities, or forming smaller groups within the group during guided practice. In the Reading program, peers whisper read to each other. In Math, peers work together on fact practice. |
The average effect size is set at .40, which estimates the typical effect of positive educational influences. It is better to judge the success of an intervention or innovation against a benchmark effect size of .40, not .00, since an intervention or innovation takes place in context of other variables. Effects between .25 and .40 are similar to what schools and teachers accomplish in a typical year of schooling. Interventions and innovations above .40 have the greatest impact on student achievement outcomes.**
** Content and graphics adapted from Visible Learning by John Hattie.**
