A quasi-experimental study on the impact of Mainstay Math Kits on sixth grade students' mathematical achievement and attitudes

Mainstay Math Kits are instructional resources designed as supplementary tools for the integration and differentiation of instruction in a standards-based, math curriculum. While students work collaboratively, in-depth, on specific math concepts and interact with a variety of materials, teachers are free to work with struggling students most in need of assistance. Mainstay Math Kits' 6 E process routinizes procedures and makes implementation manageable. The 6 Es involve: reading math trade books for context; responding to writing prompts; using manipulatives to construct representations of mathematical ideas; recording answers to open-ended problem solving activities; games; crafts, or aligned web sites; and a brief assessment to evaluate progress. The 6 Es embody the standards proposed along with the five key cognitive processes being recommended by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (1989, 2000).;When Mainstay Math Kits were used for a semester as a weekly supplement to the regular curriculum for 188 sixth-grade students, the treatment group's achievement significantly improved over time and there were statistically significant gains made in attitude while the control group's attitude scores remained constant. Additionally this study revealed positive correlations between achievement and attitudes. This quasi- experimental investigation determined that Mainstay Math Kits' integrated approach used as an intervention had a positive impact on both students' achievement scores as measured on district criterion-referenced tests and attitudes based on two administrations of Tapia & Marsh's (2004) Attitude Toward Math Inventory (ATMI).