The effects of an after-school Academic Intervention Services math program on the grade four New York State Mathematics Assessment: A quasi-experimental case study

This study investigated the effectiveness of the Math Academic Enhancement Program (MAEP), an after school Academic Intervention Services program, for one Long Island school district, on fourth grade students' mathematics achievement, as measured by the grade four New York State Mathematics Assessment. The research design utilized a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest non-equivalent treatment and non-treatment group design. Students in the treatment group were compared to the non-treatment group. Comparisons were based on student scores on the grade three TONYSS and grade four measures of mathematics achievement. Students' sex and socioeconomic differences were also explored in mathematics achievement. Statistical procedures included comparisons of means, ANOVAs, ANCOVA, and regression techniques.; This study also investigated the impact of constructivist teaching on low performing fourth grade math students. 31 teachers who instructed in the after-school program were observed. The Observation Form of the Constructivist Teaching Inventory (Greer, et.al., 1999) was used to assess the presence of constructivist teaching for each teacher.; Results revealed that there was an increase in achievement on the grade four math assessment in comparison with the grade three TONYSS scores, and that there was no statistically significant different in grade four math scores between males and females.; Findings also revealed a strong correlation (r = .66) between the grade three TONYSS and grade four New York State math scores. The MAEP was determined to have contributed to the increased achievement of the treatment group, especially those students of low income. With respect to students who did not participate in the MAEP, a comparison of means revealed a statistically significant (F = 24.445; p = .000) difference in grade four math achievement for students of varying income levels, with the full pay students outperforming those of free/reduced lunch.; With respect to constructivist teaching practices, findings revealed that the greater the presence of constructivist teaching, the greater the student achievement on the Grade Four New York State Mathematics Assessment. This was clearly evident with respect to subscales 3 (Learning Activities) and 2 (Teaching Strategies).; Research is needed to further investigate the effectiveness of AIS programs on math achievement. Suggestions for future research include examining extraneous teacher variables and the effect they may have on math achievement results, assessing the effectiveness of the district's after-school AIS English Language Arts program for fourth graders, conducting a longitudinal study of the cohort group studied in this investigation, and further investigation into sex differences in mathematics achievement.