The Title I coordinator for the district has been tasked with developing a plan to test two new intensive remediation programs for students with dyscalculia (like dyslexia, only numbers are the problem, rather than words!). The students are 60 8th graders at a magnet school for kids with their particular learning disability. Order the plans below, #1 being the best choice, and #3 being the worst.

Question

The Title I coordinator for the district has been tasked with developing a plan to test two new intensive remediation programs for students with dyscalculia (like dyslexia, only numbers are the problem, rather than words!). The students are 60 8th graders at a magnet school for kids with their particular learning disability. Order the plans below, #1 being the best choice, and #3 being the worst.

a) She randomly assigns the children to three groups by drawing names from a hat; the first name goes in group A, the second in group B, the third in group C, and so on. Group A receives no new services, but continues with their current curriculum. For six weeks, Group B continues with their current curriculum and is pulled out of class during reading for the alternative 30 minute intervention. For 6 weeks, Group C follows the same procedure--they are pulled out during reading for a 30 minute intervention. Then, Group B and C switch programs for the next 6 weeks, to counterbalance. At the beginning and end of the intervention phase, all of the children are given a diagnostic exam and mathematics concept test by the school psychologist.

b) She randomly assigns the children to three groups by drawing names from a hat; the first name goes in group A, the second in group B, the third in group C, and so on. Group A receives no new services, but continues with their current curriculum. For 12 weeks, Group B continues with their current curriculum and is pulled out of class during reading for the alternative 30 minute intervention. Group C follows the same procedure--they are pulled out during reading for a 30 minute intervention. At the beginning and end of the 12-week intervention phase, all of the children are given a diagnostic exam and mathematics concept test by the school psychologist.

c) She randomly assigns the children to two groups by drawing names from a hat; the first name goes in group A, the second in group B, and so on. For 12 weeks, Group A continues with their current curriculum and is pulled out of class during reading for a 30 minute intervention. Group B follows the same procedure--they are pulled out duriAg reading for the alternative 30 minute intervention. At the beginning and end of the 12 weeks, all the children are given a diagnostic exam and mathematics concept test by the school psychologist.

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Answer 1

Explain Bot answered
1 year ago

To determine the best plan for testing the intensive remediation programs, we need to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each option. Let's break it down:

Plan a:
- Random assignment of students to three groups (A, B, and C) provides equal opportunity for each student to be in any group, minimizing bias.
- The intervention is implemented for a period of 6 weeks, which allows for an adequate duration to assess the effectiveness of the program.
- The counterbalancing of Group B and C switching programs helps control for any potential confounding variables or individual differences.
- Diagnostic exams and mathematics concept tests are conducted by the school psychologist at the beginning and end of the intervention phase, providing pre- and post-intervention data for comparison.

Plan b:
- This plan is similar to Plan a but extends the intervention phase to 12 weeks, providing more time for potential effects to be observed.
- The additional duration may lead to more conclusive results for the effectiveness of the programs.

Plan c:
- Random assignment of students to two groups (A and B) still provides equal opportunity for each student to be in any group.
- The intervention is implemented for a period of 12 weeks, allowing for a sufficient intervention duration.
- However, the absence of a control group (Group A) not receiving the new services makes it challenging to isolate the effects of the intervention.

Considering all these factors, the best choice would be Plan a (#1) since it includes random assignment, a control group, a counterbalancing design, and pre- and post-intervention assessments. Plan b (#2) could also be a viable option due to the extended intervention period, but it lacks the counterbalancing aspect of Plan a. Plan c (#3) is the least favorable choice since it lacks a control group, making it difficult to evaluate the true impact of the intervention.

Disclaimer: The choice of the best plan ultimately depends on various factors, including available resources, time constraints, and any other specific considerations relevant to the district's situation.