EdisonLearning's Math Force™ Intervention Program Accelerates Learning and Scores for Students in 26 Colorado School Districts

DENVER, May 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Focused on bringing value and service to its school districts, the Colorado Department of Education's pilot math intervention initiative with EdisonLearning's Math Force is improving the math skills of 1,000 Southeastern Colorado students who scored unsatisfactory or low partially proficient in math on previous state achievement tests, including students with Individual Education Plans (IEP).

Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) results show that students achieved one-year median growth percentile gains of 16 points on the math section of the CSAP test from 2008 to 2009, whereas students in the region that were not in the math pilot experienced a decline of eight percentiles. When CSAP scores of special education students were isolated, they showed a median growth percentile increase of 13.5 points.

Colorado Commissioner of Education Dwight Jones said, "Based on early student progress, it is clear that the Learning Force work holds promise. I appreciate all of the teachers' effort and willingness to tackle this hard work."

In the current 2009-10 school year, the program has been expanded in northern Colorado and is now serving more than 2,000 students in 36 districts.

Learning Force™, delivered through two complementary modules, Reading Force™ and Math Force™, is a reading and mathematics standards-based program used for student intervention or group tutoring for students who are low-performing or have learning gaps on foundation skills. Well-designed lesson plans guide direct instruction and provide teachers with questioning strategies and modeling for students.    

Pre- and post-assessments and progress monitoring, in combination with ongoing professional development and teacher coaching, support the Learning Force customized learning model and help teachers monitor student progress toward individual achievement goals.

"In the current economic environment, all district expenditures, particularly investments in Response to Intervention, need to produce measurable results.  Intervention programs also need to be flexible enough to fit varied schedules and settings.  Learning Force delivers on both fronts," said Dr. Laverne White, EdisonLearning's Regional General Manager.

"The Math Force curriculum supported students to make gains on our first district benchmark assessment," said Southeastern BOCES Director and former principal Matt Snyder. "As BOCES Director, I am now seeing the math gains across all schools, no matter the grade or scheduling option."

EdisonLearning has been partnering with school districts and the Department of Education in Colorado since 1996.

EdisonLearning is the nation's leading public school innovator and partner for school districts and charter schools serving more than 350,000 children in 25 states and the UK and Abu Dhabi. We work with school leaders and communities to provide solutions that inspire students to think, learn, and succeed - and prepare them to meet their full potential and the expectations of the 21st century workplace. Visit www.EdisonLearning.com for more information.

SOURCE EdisonLearning