Projects

WestEd, in partnership with The ASSISTments Foundation and Teaching Lab, is studying how ASSISTments4AR (A4AR) can help pave a path of success by closing the achievement gap and help middle school students get ready for algebra. Algebra I is one of the most important on-track indicators for college and career readiness. Previous research on ASSISTments, high-quality curriculum, and high-quality professional learning (PL)/coaching have all independently demonstrated significant impacts for student learning.

Is your teaching staff expected to design science activities that use inexpensive technology, meet state science standards, and fit with your curriculum?

Do you want to include coding in your science classroom?

We invite rural 8th grade science teachers to join a study investigating the impact of the STEMACES program on their students' science achievement.

This use-inspired basic research project investigates features of activity design that are related to opportunities for students bureaucratically designated as "English Learners" to develop mathematical understanding and language simultaneously. We wish to understand what students are capable of doing, in interaction with others. The project will include 1-1 interviews, paired tasks, and engaging activities for groups of four students. What we learn in clinical settings will directly inform the design of classroom lessons and activities.

The Early Math Initiative (EMI) is designed to help federal and state-funded preschool programs enhance mathematical development and learning for young children. This grant-funded research project will help early childhood teachers strengthen their support for young children’s readiness for mathematics. Teachers will receive professional development and technical support in the use of instructional practices, classroom and home math activities, and materials. Upon request, training in curriculum coaching can be provided for programs that have their own professional development staff.

OKO is an intelligent tutoring platform that consists of a series of collaborative games aimed at improving social emotional skills in students while they learn math. This research study will evaluate OKO's effectiveness in authentic classroom environments and its impact on student outcomes.

WestEd, in partnership with the North Carolina State University, is examining the impact of ScienceSketch, an NGSS-aligned science modeling platform. ScienceSketch is a supplemental digital modeling platform. Students draw NGSS-aligned science models in ScienceSketch and receive individualized and adaptive scaffolded feedback to practice science modeling in engaging and meaningful ways, saving teachers valuable time.

Struggling adolescent readers present a significant challenge for school districts across the nation. The Reading Apprenticeship for Academic Literacy Learning (RA4ALL) curriculum offers a potential solution, integrating Reading Apprenticeship and Systematic Instruction in Phonological Awareness, Phonics, and Sight Words (SIPPS® Challenge) to accelerate learning for 8th and 9th graders reading below grade level. This study, a collaboration between WestEd and SRI International, will examine the impact of this combined approach on student outcomes.