Pinellas County Schools Drives Student Achievement with DreamBox Math
Research & Impact
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.
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:
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.”