My Teaching Partner-Secondary Studied

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My Teaching Partner-Secondary (MTP-S) is the focus of a newly released What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) quick review.

The study, An Interaction-Based Approach to Enhancing Secondary School Instruction and Student Achievement, examined the effects of the MTP-S program on student achievement.

Researchers compared test scores of students taught by teachers randomly assigned to receive MTP-S with those of students taught by teachers who received regular in-service training. The study analyzed data from two student cohorts. The first cohort included about 1,300 students whose test scores were analyzed at the end of the intervention year, while teachers received the MTP-S program. The second cohort included about 1,000 students whose test scores were analyzed at the end of the post-intervention year, when teachers were no longer receiving the program.

After analyzing data from the intervention year, researchers found no statistically significant difference in achievement between students of MTP-S teachers and students of control group teachers. The analyses based on the intervention year meet WWC evidence standards because they are based on a well-executed randomized controlled trial with low attrition.

Analyses of the post-intervention year found that achievement among students of MTP-S teachers was significantly higher than among students of control group teachers. The analyses based on the post-intervention year meet WWC evidence standards with reservations because MTP-S teachers had higher attrition than control teachers. Although the study provided evidence that the two groups of students were equivalent on prior achievement, it is possible that other differences existed that could have influenced achievement and were not accounted for in the analysis.

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