An Analysis of the Effects of an Integrated Learning System on Student Achievement in Mathematics

Abstract

Abstract The purpose of this study was to contribute to the debate regarding the effects of integrated learning systems (ILS) with respect to mathematical remediation on student achievement. In addition, the results of the study were intended to provide information and analysis to school district leaders with respect to curricular, scheduling, and financial decisions. The study was guided by the following research question: Will the use of ALEKS®, an online mathematical ILS, significantly affect the achievement of at-risk eighth grade students by way of growth on the Kansas Mathematics Assessment? The study was designed to measure the achievement of students in a treatment group (students who utilized the ALEKS program) and compare that to the achievement of a control group (students who did not utilize the ALEKS program). The participants in this study were 1,269 eighth grade students from the Shawnee Mission School District in northeastern Kansas. Using data from 2007, a multivariate linear regression was used to determine the effects of the ALEKS program on student achievement while controlling for student characteristics and school and teacher fixed effects. Results from this quantitative, quasi-experimental study showed that at-risk students that utilized the ALEKS program experienced more growth on the KMA in one year's time compared to at-risk students who did not utilize the ALEKS program. However, this was only true for a small portion of the ALEKS users. By including a variable in the regression that accounted for the effects of the interaction between ALEKS users and their prior score on the KMA, the results revealed the ALEKS program only showed significant and positive effects for students who entered the ALEKS program with a prior KMA score below 33.8%. The results from this study coincided with current literature that expresses the effectiveness of utilizing ILS as a remediation strategy for at-risk students.