PROJECT TITLE: EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL OF AMERICA MATHEMATICS PROGRAM (ERCMP)

B. PROJECT DIRECTOR: Mr. John F. Mehegan, Director, Educational

Research Council Mathematics Program, 614 West Superior,

Cleveland, Ohio 44113, U.S.A. (216) 696‑8222, ext. 241.

C. PROJECT HEADQUARTERS: 1. Contact: Project director. 2. Special facilities or activities available for visitor viewing: Classes in participating schools and ERC facilities.

D. PRINCIPAL PROFESSIONAL STAFF: John F. Mehegan, Director; William T. Hale, Assistant Director; S. Edwin Humison, K‑8 Coordinator; Mrs. Rae Marie Creps, Research Associate; Miss Lucille McCraith, Research Associate; Miss Mary Muesegaes, Research Assistant; Miss Margaret Russell, Research Associate.

E. PROJECT SUPPORT: 1. Funding agencies: The Cleveland Foundation, The Good Works Foundation, The Grant Foundation, The George Gund Foundation, The Louise H. & David S. Ingalls Foundation, Inc., The Martha Holden Jennings Foundation, The Kettering Foundation, The Laurel Foundation, The Lubrizol Foundation, various industrial firms and individual contributions. 2. Associated agencies: Not answered.

F. PROJECT HISTORY: 1. Principal originator: Dr. George H. Baird, President, Educational Research Council of America. 2. Date and place of initiation: March, 1959; Cleveland, Ohio. 3. Evolution and development of the project: In 1961 K‑3 materials were published. In 1965 K‑6 materials were published. In 1968 junior high materials were published, K‑6 were revised, and Units for high school students not in academic mathematics. In 1972 individualized K‑8 materials are being processed.

G. PROJECT OBJECTIVES: 1. Overall project purpose: To develop, for all children in grades K‑12, an individualized comprehensive, sequential mathematics program that is both mathematically correct and pedagogically sound. 2. Specific objectives: To develop skillful computation, measurement skills, and geometric concepts and skills.

UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PROJECT: A learning continuum with associated behavioral objectives to assist the teacher to individualize the curriculum. Diversified learning materials, i.e., games, investigations, and manipulative materials, are an integral part of the program. The program has a unit format, each unit of work consisting of:

1. A list of entering behaviors. 2. A pretest to measure entering behaviors and the behaviors to be induced by study of the unit. 3. Write‑in pupil pages. 4. Related diversified learning materials. 5. A diagnostic test to be administered before practicing the induced behaviors. 6. A teacher guide with suggestions for pre‑page activities, use of the pages, and an answer key. 7. A list of terminal objectives. 8. A post-test.

I. SPECIFIC SUBJECTS, GRADE, AGE AND ABILITY LEVELS: Mathematics for all students in K‑8, Basic Math for 9‑12 students not in academic mathematics, and use of the computer in mathematics in 7‑12.

J. MAIN METHODS OF INSTRUCTION USED IN THE PROJECT: Independent study, laboratory investigations, lectures, seminars, discussion sessions, computer assisted instruction, and films and film-strips.

K. PRESENT COMMERCIAL AFFILIATIONS: Science Research Associates, Inc., 259 East Erie Street, Chicago, Illinois 60611, U.S.A.

L. DESCRIPTION OF MATERIALS ALREADY PRODUCED: 1. K-6 Pupil Texts and Teacher Guides. 2. K-6 Tests. 3. Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, and Division Units (available only to Council Schools). 4. Games, Investigations, and Manipulative Materials. 5. Filmstrips. 6. Junior High Student Texts and Teacher Guides. 7. Informal Geometry Booklets. 8. A BASIC Primer. 9. Elementary Functions with BASIC

10. Key Topics for the Primary Teacher.

11. Key Topics for the Intermediate Teacher.

12. ERC Catalog of Materials and Services.

M. MATERIALS AVAILABLE FREE: Item 12.

N. MATERIALS PURCHASABLE: Items 1, 2, 10, 11. Write to Science Research Associates for price list. Items 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. Write to the Educational Research Council for price list.

0. ADDITIONAL MATERIALS BEING DEVELOPED: Geometry Kits and Measurement Kits for K‑8, and units for Fractional Numbers.

P. LANGUAGE IN WHICH MATERIALS: 1. Were originally written: English. 2. Have been or will be translated: Not answered.

COUNTRIES IN WHICH MATERIALS ARE USED: United States.

PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION: (In Council Schools) Information on adoption of the entire program is unknown. 1. Total number of teachers using any of the materials: 2,000. 2. Total number of students using any of the materials: 70,000. 3. Total number of schools using any of the materials: 175. 4. The totals stated in 1, 2 and 3 are estimated. 5. Name and location of selected schools where the program is in use: State of Ohio: Aurora, Avon Lake, Bay Village, Berea, Brooklyn, Cleveland Catholic Schools, Chardon, Cuyahoga Heights, Fairview Park, Independence, some Cleveland Lutheran Schools, Hayfield, North Olmsted, Olmsted Falls. Out of State: Bradford, Pennsylvania; Brockton, Massachusetts; Greenville, Michigan; Imlay City, Michigan; Muskegon, Michigan; Niles, Michigan; Owatonna, Minnesota.

3. TEACHER PREPARATION: 1. Consultant services available for teachers using the materials: The ERCMP staff (all teachers) is available at all times to conduct workshops, teach demonstration lessons, and assist the teacher to implement ERCMP or other programs. 2. Activities conducted for pre‑service and in-service teacher training: In‑service workshops at Council schools; one, two, or three day workshops in Council schools: $5 per day for Council teachers, $25 per day for Non‑Council teachers. 3. Available pre‑service and/or in‑service teaching materials for science educators to use in preparing teachers: None.

E. PROJECT EVALUATION: 1. Has the effectiveness of the materials been evaluated: Yes, internally. 2. Published research studies: (a) Comparative Data for the Greater Cleveland Mathematics Tests, Grades 1‑3, Test 1, Form A (A Teacher's Guide to the Interpretation of Scores), 1964. (b) Comparative Data for the Greater Cleveland Mathematics Tests, Grades 1‑3, Tests 2‑4, Form A (A Teacher's Guide to the Interpretation of Scores), 1964. (C) Comparative Data for the Greater Cleveland Mathematics Tests, Grade 4, Tests 1‑2, Form A, Including a Supplement of Data for Tests 3‑4, Form A, 1964. (d) The Performance of GCMP Students on the Stanford Arithmetic Tests, Grades Four through Six, 1964‑65, 1965. (Edward) A Descriptive Analysis of the use of the Greater Cleveland Mathematics Program in Grades One, Two, and Three, 1966. (f) A Technical Report on the Analysis of Test Results from an Investigation of Two Teaching Methods in the Multiplication with Whole Numbers, 1966. 3. Brief abstract of in‑house or unpublished research. (a) Comparative Study of Arithmetic Test Scores Before and After the Introduction of GCMP.

A comparison of the mean grade equivalent scores on the Arithmetic Reasoning and Computation subtests of the Stan: Achievement Tests indicates that the performance of pupil (Grade 3 and 4) seems to have improved somewhat on both the Arithmetic Reasoning and Computation subtests after introduction of GCMP materials.

(b) An Interim Report on the Results of GCMT, Intermediate Series.

A descriptive analysis of the four parts of each of seven tests, corresponding to seven student booklets of the GCMP was made in order to help establish guidelines to evaluate pupils' achievement on the concepts and skills stressed in the program.

(C) Grades 2, 3 and 4 Math Project.

Preparation of the final reports is in process on the com -parative studies of the teaching methods of computational skills to students in grades 2‑4. The programs in the stud -ies include experimental units to be published in 1974, the corresponding materials in the current GCMP and the most widely used non-GCMP mathematics programs.

The following analyses were made in the studies:

(i) Attainment of each objective by different program groups by various IQ levels.

(in) Comparison of the overall achievement of various program groups after differences in IQ and initial ability in computation are adjusted (i.e., analysis of covariance using IQ and the initial computational score as the covariates).

(iii) Analysis of errors made by students of varying I levels in the experimental group. Its purpose is to help teachers understand students' misconception and help ERC's Mathematics Department develop remedial materials for these students.

(d) Grade 1 Project.

A comparative study is underway to compare the experiment program to be published in 1974 and the current GCMP.

(Edward) Pre‑Algebra Projects.

(i) Development of the Diagnostic and Placement Inventory to be given to students at the end of grade 6 or the beginning of grade 7 to identify students' strength and weaknesses in seven areas: Numeration, whole numbers fractional numbers, decimals, integers, rational numb and geometry.

(in) Evaluation of the pre‑algebra programs and the accompanying achievement tests.

(f) Basic Mathematics Project.

Report to the Teachers on the Results of the "Circles" Test and the "Boxes and Cylinders" Test.

An investigation of the students' performance on the pretest and post‑test on the booklets Circles and Boxes and Cylinders in the Basic Mathematics Program, to determine the gain and attainment of major objectives. The Basic Mathematics Program is intended for non-college bound students of the tenth or eleventh grade. Pretest and post-test are also available for the tests accompanying the other books in the Basic Mathematics Program. 4. Evaluative data available to interested individuals: Additional information is available from the Director of the Evaluation and Testing Department of the Educational Research Council of America, Rockefeller Building, Cleveland, Ohio 44113.

J. PROJECT PUBLICITY: The Grade Teacher February, 1971.

T• SUMMARY OF PROJECT ACTIVITIES SINCE 1970 REPORT: Development of units including pupil pages, behavioral objectives, tests, teacher guide, and diversified materials.

PLANS FOR THE FUTURE: Publication of a complete K‑4 program for the school year 1974‑75 and a 5‑8 program for the school year 1975‑76.