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Abstract
Success Maker is an educational software that differentiates and personalizes K-8 reading and math. Limited research has been conducted on the impact of Success Maker on Grade 4 math state tests. At the research site, located in southeastern United States, 33.7% of fourth grade students did not pass the Palmetto Assessment of State Standards (PASS) test in 2012. The rationale for the project study stemmed from the problem that not all students in Grade 4 math were meeting math standards. In an effort to improve those students' skills and abilities in math, the intent of this study was to examine the impact of Success Maker software on Grade 4 proficiency in math as measured by PASS tests. The theoretical framework of this quantitative quasi-experimental study was based on the reductionism theory. Archived data were collected from 2 Grade 4 elementary school cohorts, where 1 cohort was taught math using Success Maker and the other cohort was taught using traditional teaching methods. An independent sample t test was used to examine if there was a change among the means of the cohorts' PASS math state scores. The findings revealed that the integration of technology into the Grade 4 curriculum had a statistically significant positive impact on Grade 4 math state tests. Implications for positive social change may include the integration of supplemental education programs into the Grade 4 curriculum to help students improve their math proficiency and pass state tests. Successful integration of software into the curriculum may help Grade 4 students meet Adequate Yearly Progress and enter higher education or successfully join the workforce.
