Eric.ed.gov – Using a Scientific Process for Curriculum Development and Formative Evaluation: Project FUSION

Given the vital importance of using a scientific approach for curriculum development, the authors employed a design experiment methodology (Brown, 1992; Shavelson et al., 2003) to develop and evaluate, FUSION, a first grade mathematics intervention intended for students with or at-risk for mathematics disabilities. FUSION, funded through IES (Baker, Clarke, & Fien, 2008), targets students’ understanding of whole number concepts and skills and is being designed as a Tier 2 intervention for schools that use a multi-tiered service delivery model, such as Response to Intervention (RtI). In developing this intervention, the authors have drawn extensively from the converging knowledge base of effective math instruction (Gersten et al., 2009; National Math Advisory Panel, [NMAP] 2008) and the critical content areas of first grade mathematics recognized by national bodies (Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, [CCSS-M] 2010). Guiding the FUSION project are three primary objectives: (1) develop a 60-lesson intervention program that fosters students’ procedural fluency and conceptual understanding of whole number concepts, (2) assess the feasibility of the FUSION intervention and (3) assess the potential efficacy of the intervention in a subsequent randomized efficacy trial. This presentation focuses on FUSION’s initial feasibility study. The feasibility study took place in seven schools in two suburban school districts located in the northwest. Eight teachers (1 male) with varying experience levels participated in the feasibility study. Preliminary analyses indicate that teachers are meeting acceptable levels of implementation fidelity. Overall, teachers have expressed encouraging views of FUSION. Anecdotal records from classroom visits and professional development sessions indicate that teachers are satisfied with FUSION’s overall structure and comfortable with lesson implementation. Teachers report that students are benefiting from the program and in particular building conceptual knowledge and procedural fluency in whole numbers. For student performance data, the authors plan to investigate student gains across the academic year. They expect to find strong relationships between FUSION and changes in CBM and ProFusion scores. These preliminary findings would serve as promise of FUSION for positively influencing student math outcomes. Analyses are currently underway. (Contains 2 figures.)