Curriculum implementation: A study of the effect of a specialized curriculum on sixth grade mathematics summative test scores in a rural middle school

The purpose of this study was to examine curriculum implementation in sixth grade mathematics as it related to standardized testing in a rural district. The school in the study contained two groups of students, one group who had been taught the new state-mandated curriculum and another group who was taught an outdated curriculum. The purpose was to determine if there was a statistically significant disparity between the criterion-reference test scores of the two groups while controlling for differences in student ability level through the use of pre-test scores as measured through an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The hypothesis was that no difference would exist between the scores of the two groups. The hypothesis was rejected, as the difference between the two groups was statistically significant.