Syntes: Campuzano et al. (2009) — federal randomised study of software products: Cognitive Tutor Algebra I showed no gain over two years

Källa: Campuzano, L., Dynarski, M., Agodini, R., & Rall, K. (2009). Effectiveness of Reading and Mathematics Software Products: Findings From Two Student Cohorts (NCEE 2009-4041). National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, US Department of Education. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED504657.pdf

Verified numbers (full text read 2026-10-13)

• Design: second year of the study first reported by Dynarski et al. 2007; teachers randomly assigned within schools to use a product or not; students allocated to teachers as schools normally do; outcomes on standardised tests (ETS End-of-Course Algebra Assessment for algebra I, percent correct; the report converts with an SD of 17).
• Cognitive Tutor Algebra I (Chapter III, J; Table III.2; Figure 4): core curriculum (computer lab two days a week, textbook three days; four days of teacher training; about $69 per student a year). 4 districts, 11 schools, 29 teachers (15 treatment, 14 control), 755 students over two years; 2,149 logged-in minutes a year on average over 24 weeks. Two-year effect −1.28 points (p = .26; 95 % CI −3.62 to +1.06), about −0.08 SD on the report's SD (our conversion). Second year only (9 + 9 teachers, 276 students, 1,840 minutes): −2.10 points (p = .30), about −0.12 SD.
• All algebra I products pooled, returning teachers (Table II.15): 24 teachers, 1,051 students; year 1 −0.34 points (effect size −0.02), year 2 +2.56 (0.15, p = .03); difference 2.90 (p = .05).
• All ten products: one (LeapTrack, grade 4 reading) had a significant positive effect; nine were not significant (five negative, four positive). The authors caution that single-product estimates come from small samples in districts and schools that volunteered for each product.
• Note: this study is among those pooled in Steenbergen-Hu & Cooper 2013.

Role for C10

Supports (kill-condition test survived, 2026-10-13): a second randomised trial of Cognitive Tutor Algebra I found no gain over two years, also not in teachers' second year, but that second-year estimate is imprecise, the pooled second-year algebra effect was positive, and the school-randomised trial of the same course (Pane et al. 2014) found a second-year high-school gain; the kill-condition is not met.