Program Description
ROOTS is a Tier 2 supplemental intervention that uses one-to-two or one-to-five small group tutoring to help kindergarteners at risk for failure in mathematics. It provides 50 lessons in 20-minute sessions five days a week over 10 weeks. ROOTS is designed to promote procedural fluency and conceptual understanding, primarily in addition and subtraction. The small groups are taught by paraprofessionals who receive 10 hours of professional development, plus frequent in-school visits by coaches and general supervision by kindergarten teachers.
Program Outcomes
ROOTS was evaluated in one qualifying study in Boston. On SESAT, TEMA-3, and NSB measures, students in ROOTS gained more than controls with an average effect size of +0.32. This qualifies ROOTS for the ESSA “Strong” category. However, there were no differences on a follow-up measure given in the middle of first grade.