SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- A year-long study performed by Dr. Gary Bitter (Arizona State University) in partnership with JBS International found that students who used Sokikom, a U.S. Department of Education funded online collaborative math program, scored significantly higher (18%) on the end of year Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBAC) and substantially increased their motivation to learn math compared to students who didn't use Sokikom.
The study, published in the International Journal for Innovation and Education Research, was the first of its kind to discover a connection between a supplemental math program and the SBAC. Though a quasi-experimental design, researchers studied the effects of using Sokikom for one year in 2 elementary schools in the Rio School District (Oxnard, CA). The study consisted of 995 students enrolled in grades 3, 4, and 5 during the 2014-2015 academic year. Researchers discovered that students who used Sokikom effectively had significantly higher (18% higher) CAASPP scores than all other students, independent of teacher, grade, or school. The study also found a significant improvement in students' intrinsic motivation to learn math.
Dr. Bitter who headed the study was happy with the outcome, "The results are very meaningful with the findings showing that the Sokikom collaborative learning approach provides students' the required fundamental math learning needed to be successful in SBAC math."
With 63% of California students not meeting California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) standards, school districts have had to look for additional resources to support students. Rio School District Superintendent, John Puglisi, discovered Sokikom in 2014 when the district was looking for a supplement to their curriculum that would not only engage students but also show significant improvement in mathematic achievement.
"We wanted a tool that students, regardless of their grade level or age, could proceed individually at school learning math practices and math skills and we wanted to find a tool that kids would be really engaged with."
About Sokikom: Sokikom is the only collaborative math program where elementary students help each other learn through a team-based game. Unlike any other math program Sokikom was started through multiple grants from the U.S. Department of Education to positively impact the teaching and learning of mathematics.
For more information and to read the entire study, go to http://www.ijier.net/index.php/ijier/article/view/518/469.
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