Math & YOU Increases Student Engagement and Teacher Effectiveness Findings from a 2024-25 Efficacy Study

Oct 15, 2026

Evaluation of the Math & YOU curriculum in K–5 settings examines whether enhanced curriculum support improves teacher effectiveness and student learning. A year-long efficacy study ran during 2024–25 with two elementary schools, 25 classroom teachers, and 634 students across kindergarten to Grade 5. The report also includes a comparative analysis using a control group from an elementary school implementing a different math curriculum, structured to answer multiple research questions on rigor, digital resources, engagement, and achievement outcomes.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Study Methodology

Research Questions

Comparative Control Group

Teacher Evaluation Findings

Student Achievement and Growth Data Analysis

Ending Thoughts and New Considerations for K-12 Education Leaders

Appendix

Math & YOU Increases Student Engagement and Teacher Effectiveness Findings from a 2024-25 Efficacy Study “[My students] love the math musicals. They love to watch those and participate in them and then along with the career that goes along with it. And I like how that circles back to some of the questions. Then I could remind my students, "Remember we talked about the carpenter? Here's an example of a“real life situation," because I feel like a lot of the time, they don't really understand certain math skills, using them and applying them to daily life. I think that was really useful for them to see how they can apply it in different ways and like I said, in future careers.” Grade 1 Teacher, Lackawanna Trail Elementary Center (PA) Introduction Based upon the most recent NAEP scores, 61% of fourth-grade students nationwide performed below the proficiency level on the mathematics assessment; 24% identified as having math skills that were below basic. While scores have increased since the pandemic, the current fourth grade scores are still below what was reported in 2019.1 Teaching math in elementary education has always been hard for several reasons. Math anxiety among students and teachers is a contributing factor, as are challenges with math content that involve abstract and complex concepts as building blocks for foundational understanding. Shifting classroom practices from teaching procedures to fostering mathematical thinking and problem-solving skills is a difficult task for many elementary generalist teachers, many of whom may lack a solid foundation in mathematics themselves. Now a new study from the National Council of Teacher Quality adds another piece to this understanding through their reporting that only one in eight teacher preparation programs give elementary school teacher candidates enough time to learn the math content they teach.2 Against this backdrop of continued underperformance by elementary students in math and the real challenges of teaching math in elementary classrooms, an evaluation of the impact of a new more rigorous math curriculum that includes extensive teacher support resources is very timely. Big Ideas Learning contracted Project Tomorrow ®, a national education nonprofit organization, to design and implement a year-long efficacy study to investigate and report on the impact of the Math & YOU curriculum product on student outcomes and teacher effectiveness in K – 5 education settings. This thirdparty report documents the findings from that study conducted during the 2024-25 school year with 2 elementary schools, 25 classroom teachers and 634 students in kindergarten through Grade 5. In addition, we evaluated the student achievement results from an elementary school using a competitive math curriculum, serving as a control group for data analysis. The report is organized into four primary chapters: 1 [https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/mathematics/nation/scores/?grade=4](https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/mathematics/nation/scores/?grade=4) 2 [https://teacherquality.nctq.org/review/standard/Elementary-Mathematics/2025](https://teacherquality.nctq.org/review/standard/Elementary-Mathematics/2025) © PROJECT TOMORROW 2025 1 1. Study Methodology (pages 2-3) 2. Teacher Evaluation Findings (pages 3 – 8) 3. Student Achievement and Growth Data Analysis – a comparative study (pages 9 – 10) 4. Ending Thoughts and New Considerations for K-12 Education Leaders (pages 11 – 12) 5. Appendix (pages 13-14) Study Methodology Project Tomorrow designed and implemented the year-long efficacy study on behalf of Big Ideas Learning. The following research questions guided the study design, data collection vehicles and resulting analytical processes to identify key findings. Research Questions: 1. Does Math & YOU increase or enhance teacher effectiveness with math instruction? In what ways? 2. How does Math & YOU’s digital resources support enhanced teacher effectiveness? 3. How

FAQs

What is the purpose of the 2024–25 Math & YOU efficacy study?

The study investigates the impact of the Math & YOU curriculum on student outcomes and teacher effectiveness, including how digital resources and curriculum support influence classroom practice.

How was the study designed and what groups were compared?

The evaluation used a quasi-experimental approach with a treatment group using Math & YOU and a control group using a different elementary math curriculum for comparative data analysis.

What research questions does the report address about teachers and students?

It asks whether Math & YOU increases teacher effectiveness, how teachers perceive curriculum rigor and support materials, whether students are more engaged, and how product use relates to achievement growth and learning outcomes.

Oct 15, 2026

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