Impacts of Accelerated Math® on Primary and Secondary Students

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The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) recently reviewed the research on Accelerated Math® and its impacts on the mathematics achievement of primary and secondary students. The results are summarized in two new intervention reports released today, December 19, by the Institute of Education Sciences. Accelerated Math® is a software tool that provides practice problems for students in grades K–12 and provides teachers with reports to monitor student progress. The software is typically used as a supplement to the math curriculum being used in the classroom to add practice for students and help teachers differentiate instruction through the program’s progress-monitoring data. The first WWC report summarizes the research evidence on Accelerated Math® and its use in primary mathematics classes, which includes kindergarten through pre-algebra. Based on the most recent available evidence, the WWC found that Accelerated Math® has mixed effects on mathematics achievement for primary students. For more details, read the full report. The second report summarizes the research evidence on the Accelerated Math® secondary mathematics content, which includes Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II. Based on the current research, the WWC found that no studies of the Accelerated Math® secondary mathematics content meet WWC group design standards. Therefore, the WWC is unable to draw any conclusions based on research about the impacts of the curriculum on the mathematics achievement of secondary students. More research is needed on the use of Accelerated Math® for secondary mathematics instruction. Read the full report for more information.