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Effectiveness Study Shows McDougal Littell Life Science Increases Student Achievement, Improves Attitudes About Science

Posted on: Monday, 17 October 2005, 09:00 CDT

McDougal Littell, a division of Houghton Mifflin Company, announced today that the McDougal Littell Life Science program is more effective than others in increasing student achievement and improving their attitudes about science, according to a recent study comparing the effectiveness of middle school life science textbooks.

Catherine Callow-Heusser, Ph.D., director of EndVision Research and Evaluation, conducted the study with Geoffrey D. Borman, Ph.D., of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who assisted with analysis.

"We performed a randomized experiment -- which many consider to be the gold standard in evidenced-based research -- and the findings show differences large enough to indicate that McDougal Littell Life Science is likely more effective than life science curricula used in comparison classrooms," said Dr. Callow-Heusser.

She added, "The research shows that the McDougal Littell program had a consistently positive impact on science content knowledge, science attitudes, lowest performing students, teacher content knowledge, teacher use of research-based instructional strategies and teacher use of technology. It is unusual for a study to show positive impacts in all of these areas."

The McDougal Littell Life Science program is research-based and was developed specifically for middle school students.

Twenty-nine science teachers in 18 schools in Alabama, California, New York, Tennessee and Utah took part in the study and were represented in the final analysis of student outcomes.

Following are key findings from the study.

-- There was a positive impact on student achievement when using McDougal Littell Life Science compared to classrooms in which other materials were used. Students in the classrooms using McDougal Littell Life Science performed better by demonstrating a higher level of proficiency on curriculum-based assessments.

-- The impact analysis, conducted by Geoffrey D. Borman, Ph.D., showed that the students assigned to McDougal Littell classrooms outperformed their comparison-group peers by six percentile points. This growth, which occurred over only one-half of one school year, is considered "educationally significant" by the research team.

-- McDougal Littell Life Science was more effective in improving student attitudes than were the other life science curricula. McDougal Littell Life Science served to narrow the attitude gap between students with better and poorer attitudes toward science.

-- Minority students benefited the most from the use of McDougal Littell Life Science on both achievement and attitude measures -- important indicators in closing the "achievement gap." McDougal Littell Life Science classrooms in which students scored the lowest on the pretest -- those classrooms that could be described as most needing effective intervention -- showed an even stronger positive impact on student achievement and attitudes when compared to similar comparison classrooms.

-- McDougal Littell Life Science had a statistically significant teacher-level impact on instruction. Teachers using McDougal Littell Life Science implemented research-based instructional practices and curricular materials with greater quality and consistency than those in the comparison group using alternative programs.

"Educators tell us that teaching with McDougal Littell Life Science makes the content mandated by state standards more understandable to their students," said Leo Murphy, vice president and publisher of Math and Science, McDougal Littell. "This study provides strong evidence that middle school students can perform better with McDougal Littell Science. This is especially important now that No Child Left Behind mandates science testing for all students beginning in 2007."

For more information about the science program and the study, visit http://www.mcdougallittell.com/sciencestudy.

About McDougal Littell

McDougal Littell, a division of Houghton Mifflin Company, is among the fastest growing publishers in the United States, recognized for its innovation, dedication and responsiveness to the needs of educators. Based in Evanston, Illinois, the Company publishes print and technology materials for language arts, mathematics, social studies, world languages, and science for grades 6 through 12. The Company's Web site can be found at www.mcdougallittell.com.

About Houghton Mifflin Company

Boston-based Houghton Mifflin Company is one of the leading educational publishers in the United States, with over $1 billion in sales. Houghton Mifflin publishes textbooks, instructional technology, assessments and other educational materials for elementary and secondary schools and colleges. The Company also publishes an extensive line of reference works and award-winning fiction and nonfiction for adults and young readers. Houghton Mifflin offers computer-administered testing programs and services for the professional and certification markets. With its origins dating back to 1832, Houghton Mifflin combines its tradition of excellence with a commitment to innovation. The Company's Web site can be found at www.hmco.com.

Source: Business Wire

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