Immediate, Sustained, and Cumulative Effects of an Instructional System on Mathematics Achievement

The effects of an instructional systems approach to the teaching of mathematics on mathematics achievement were investigated. The system included a care- fully sequenced series of computational skills, a program pretest, materials for students and teachers to monitor mathematics progress, and highly prescriptive procedures for teaching, setting instructional priorities, and monitoring progress along the skill continuum. Effects were measured as a function of participation versus non-participation in systems- based instructional approaches, the recency of participation in systems approaches, the sustained effects of systems approaches, and the cumulative effects yielded as a result of extended exposure to systems-based procedures. The results indicated that mathematics performance was significantly related to systems-based instructional methods: students receiving greater amounts of systems-based instruction obtained the highest performance levels, followed by students only currently receiving systems-based instruction, students who received systems-based instruction previously but not currently, and finally by students who never received systems- based instruction.